吃闲饭 (chī xián fàn) — (colloquial, derogatory) to be a freeloader or sponger; to lead an idle life depending on others

Definition

Colloquial, derogatory way to call someone a freeloader — eating 'idle rice,' i.e. living off others without working. Always negative and casual-spoken.

verb
(colloquial, derogatory) to be a freeloader or spongerto lead an idle life depending on others

Examples

  • 吃闲饭，。
    Tā zhěng tiān zài jiā chī xián fàn, shén me dōu bú zuò.
    He just freeloads at home all day and does nothing.
  • 。
    Tā yǐ jīng chī le liǎng nián xián fàn le.
    He's been freeloading for two years already.
  • 吃闲饭。
    Méi rén xǐ huan chī xián fàn de rén.
    Nobody likes a freeloader.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

吃chīeat
闲饭idle meals
闲xiánidle饭fànmeals
偏正Modifier + head

吃闲饭 is eating idle meals, so living without working.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
乞
乞qǐ吃chī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

吃 combines 口 (mouth) with 乞, which gives the sound; it originally wrote a word meaning to stutter.

Open 吃 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 閒; 闲 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 閒 puts 月 (moon) inside 門 (door), as if moonlight peeks through a door; this picture gives the idea of a gap or space. The simplified 闲 is a later abbreviation.

Open 闲 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 飯; 饭 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
食食shífood
Sound part声符shēngfú
反
反fǎn飯fàn
Same sound today

The traditional form 飯 combines 食 (food) with 反 for the sound; the simplified 饭 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical form.

Open 饭 →

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