一腳踏兩船

Chinese

		one; single; a one; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.)	role; foot; base	step on	both; two; some both; two; some; a few; tael	a boat; vessel; ship
trad. (一腳踏兩船)		一	腳	踏	兩	船
simp. (一脚踏两船)		一	脚	踏	两	船
Literally: “one foot stepping on two boats”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yī jiǎo tà liǎng chuán

  (Zhuyin): ㄧ ㄐㄧㄠˇ ㄊㄚˋ ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄔㄨㄢˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jat¹ goek³ daap⁶ loeng⁵ syun⁴

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yī jiǎo tà liǎng chuán [Phonetic: yì jiǎo tà liǎng chuán]
    • Zhuyin: ㄧ ㄐㄧㄠˇ ㄊㄚˋ ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄔㄨㄢˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yi jiǎo tà liǎng chuán
    • Wade–Giles: i¹ chiao³ tʻa⁴ liang³ chʻuan²
    • Yale: yī jyǎu tà lyǎng chwán
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: i jeau tah leang chwan
    • Palladius: и цзяо та лян чуань (i czjao ta ljan čuanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰä⁵¹ li̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯än³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jat¹ goek³ daap⁶ loeng⁵ syun⁴
    • Yale: yāt geuk daahp léuhng syùhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jat⁷ goek⁸ daap⁹ loeng⁵ syn⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: yed¹ gêg³ dab⁶ lêng⁵ xun⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐt̚⁵ kœːk̚³ taːp̚² lœːŋ¹³ syːn²¹/

Idiom

一腳踏兩船

1. to have two dates at the same time; to two-time

   • 先是因為一些小事而被公司解僱，接着好不容易在便利店找到份part-time，結果竟然因為被投訴成日找錯錢，老闆一氣之下把他辭退，最後連同居了五年的女朋友亦因為一腳踏兩船而分手！ [Cantonese, trad.]
     先是因为一些小事而被公司解雇，接着好不容易在便利店找到份part-time，结果竟然因为被投诉成日找错钱，老板一气之下把他辞退，最后连同居了五年的女朋友亦因为一脚踏两船而分手！ [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2016, 超媒體編輯組, 香港盂蘭夜話, page 75

     sin¹ si⁶ jan¹ wai⁶ jat¹ se¹ siu² si⁶ ji⁴ bei⁶ gung¹ si¹ gaai² gu³, zip³ zoek⁶ hou² bat¹ jung⁴ ji⁶ zoi⁶ bin⁶ lei⁶ dim³ zaau² dou³ fan⁶ paat¹ taai¹, git³ gwo² ging² jin⁴ jan¹ wai⁶ bei⁶ tau⁴ sou³ seng⁴ jat⁶ zaau² co³ cin^4-2, lou⁵ baan² jat¹ hei³ zi¹ haa⁶ baa² taa¹ ci⁴ teoi³, zeoi³ hau⁶ lin⁴ tung⁴ geoi¹ liu⁵ ng⁵ nin⁴ dik¹ neoi⁵ pang⁴ jau⁵ jik⁶ jan¹ wai⁶ jat¹ goek³ daap⁶ loeng⁵ syun⁴ ji⁴ fan¹ sau²! [Jyutping]

     First, he was fired by his company for something trivial. Then, after finding a part-time job with much difficulty, because someone complained that he kept giving back the wrong change, his boss fired him in a fury. In the end, he even broke up with his girlfriend who was living together with him for five years because of two-timing!

Synonyms

• 腳踏兩條船／脚踏两条船 (jiǎo tà liǎng tiáo chuán)