Cicada belly and tortoise intestines(chán fù guī cháng)

Cicada belly and tortoise intestines

The Chinese idiom ch á NF ù Gu ī ch á ng means that the ancients thought that cicadas only need to drink dew, while turtles only need to drink water. It's a metaphor for hunger. It comes from the biography of Tanyu in the southern history.

The origin of Idioms

According to the biography of Tanyu in the southern history, he wrote with monk Qian: "it's been a long time since the cicada's belly was full of turtles and snakes."

Idiom usage

It refers to starvation or poverty. Example Lu guimeng's Yiju in Tang Dynasty: "but when we talk about gargling and pillow stone, we don't say goodbye to cicada belly and turtle intestine!" He has already abandoned the micro official and has been lenient. In the Qing Dynasty, ye mingluan wrote nanxiangzi, autumn water and late spring.

Chinese PinYin : chán fù guī cháng