趋之若鹜 (qū zhī ruò wù) — (idiom, derogatory) to scramble for something like a flock of ducks; to madly chase after a trend or opportunity

Definition

A derogatory idiom (literally 'rush toward it like a flock of ducks') for people madly scrambling after a trend, opportunity, or fad — always with a critical, mocking tone toward the crowd.

verb
(idiom, derogatory) to scramble for something like a flock of ducksto madly chase after a trend or opportunity

Examples

  • ，趋之若鹜。
    Zhè kuǎn xīn shǒu jī gāng yí shàng shì, xiāo fèi zhě jiù qū zhī ruò wù.
    As soon as this new phone hit the market, consumers flocked to get it.
  • “”趋之若鹜，。
    Hěn duō rén duì nà ge suǒ wèi de "bào fù" xiàng mù qū zhī ruò wù, jié guǒ bèi piàn le qián.
    Many people scrambled for that so-called 'get rich quick' scheme, and ended up being scammed.
  • 趋之若鹜，。
    Dà jiā bú bì qū zhī ruò wù dì zhuī qiú wǎng hóng cān tīng, wèi dào qí shí hěn yì bān.
    You don't have to flock after internet-famous restaurants — the food is actually just average.

Origin

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 趨; 趋 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
走走zǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
芻
芻chú趨qū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 趨 pairs 走, a walking/running part, with 芻 as a sound part; the simplified 趋 is a later shorthand.

Open 趋 →

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

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

Open 之 →

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

若 began as a picture of a person combing their hair, associated with obedience.

Open 若 →

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 鶩; 鹜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鳥鳥niǎobird
Sound part声符shēngfú
敄
敄wù鶩wù
Same sound today

In the traditional form 鶩, 鳥 shows a bird and 敄 gives the sound; the simplified 鹜 is a later abbreviation.

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