Definition
吃醋 literally means 'to eat vinegar', but it's a cultural idiom for romantic jealousy. The expression comes from a Tang Dynasty story where Emperor Taizong offered a concubine to a minister, and the minister's wife drank vinegar (a 'poison') rather than accept the arrangement. As a separable verb (离合词), you can insert objects or measure words between 吃 and 醋, e.g. 吃他的醋 ('be jealous of him') or 吃过一次醋 ('have been jealous once').
v.o.
to be jealous (of a rival in love)
Examples
- ,吃醋。Tā kàndào nánpéngyou hé bié de nǚshēng shuōhuà, jiù chī cù le.She got jealous when she saw her boyfriend talking to another girl.
- ,。Tā chī le wǒ de cù, yīnwèi wǒ hé tā de qián nǚyǒu shì péngyou.He was jealous of me because I'm friends with his ex-girlfriend.
- 吃醋,。Bié chī cù le, tā zhǐshì wǒ de tóngshì éryǐ.Don't be jealous — she's just my colleague.
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