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游手好闲 (yóu shǒu hào xián) — to idle about; to loaf around (set phrase, derogatory)

Definition

A derogatory idiom meaning someone idles around and does no real work, with a stronger negative judgment than simply being 'lazy' (懒). Usually describes a person's habitual attitude, not a one-time rest.

idiom
to idle aboutto loaf around (set phrase, derogatory)

Examples

  • 游手好闲，。
    Tā zhěng tiān yóu shǒu hào xián, yì diǎn zhèng shì dōu bú zuò.
    He loafs around all day and doesn't do any proper work.
  • 游手好闲。
    yóu shǒu hào xián De rén hěn nán zài shè huì shàng lì zú.
    People who idle about find it hard to establish themselves in society.
  • ，游手好闲。
    Zì cóng shī yè yǐ hòu, tā jiù biàn de yóu shǒu hào xián le.
    Since losing his job, he has become idle and lazy.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

游手idle hands
游yóuidle手shǒuhands
偏正Modifier + head
好闲fond of idleness
好hǎolike闲xiánidleness
动宾Verb + object

游手 idle hands and 好闲 fond of idleness are joined in parallel to mean loaf around.

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
斿
斿yóu游yóu
Same sound today

游 combines 水 (water) with 斿, which gives the sound yóu and also relates to travelling.

Open 游 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

Open 手 →

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

好 joins 女 (woman) and 子 (child), understood as a woman with a child, linked to goodness or affection.

Open 好 →

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 →
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Idioms & Set Phrases

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