天雨粟，馬生角

Chinese

		day; sky; heaven	rain	grain; millet		horse; surname	to be born; to give birth; life to be born; to give birth; life; to grow; student; raw	horn; angle; role horn; angle; role; actor; contend; horn-shaped; Chinese musical note
trad. (天雨粟，馬生角)		天	雨	粟	，	馬	生	角
simp. (天雨粟，马生角)		天	雨	粟	，	马	生	角
Literally: “when it rains millets and horses grow horns”.

Etymology

From Sima Qian's comment in his Records of the Grand Historian about a legend of Crown Prince Dan:

世言荊軻，其稱太子丹之命，「天雨粟，馬生角」也，太過。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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世言荆轲，其称太子丹之命，「天雨粟，马生角」也，太过。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

Shì yán Jīng Kē, qí chēng Tàizǐ Dān zhī mìng, “tiān yù sù, mǎ shēng jiǎo” yě, tàiguò. [Pinyin]

When people are talking about Jing Ke, they would mention that "when it rains millets and horse grow horns" about Crown Prince Dan's fate. That statement was too far.

See the entry 烏頭白，馬生角 / 乌头白，马生角 (wū tóu bái, mǎ shēng jiǎo) for details of the legend.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): tiān yù sù, mǎ shēng jiǎo

  (Zhuyin): ㄊㄧㄢ ㄩˋ ㄙㄨˋ , ㄇㄚˇ ㄕㄥ ㄐㄧㄠˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): tin¹ jyu⁵ suk¹, maa⁵ sang¹ gok³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: tiān yù sù, mǎ shēng jiǎo
    • Zhuyin: ㄊㄧㄢ ㄩˋ ㄙㄨˋ , ㄇㄚˇ ㄕㄥ ㄐㄧㄠˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: tian yù sù, mǎ sheng jiǎo
    • Wade–Giles: tʻien¹ yü⁴ su⁴, ma³ shêng¹ chiao³
    • Yale: tyān yù sù-, mǎ shēng jyǎu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tian yuh suh, maa sheng jeau
    • Palladius: тянь юй су, ма шэн цзяо (tjanʹ juj su, ma šɛn czjao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ y⁵¹⁻⁵³ su⁵¹ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: tin¹ jyu⁵ suk¹, maa⁵ sang¹ gok³
    • Yale: tīn yúh sūk, máh sāng gok
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tin¹ jy⁵ suk⁷, maa⁵ sang¹ gok⁸
    • Guangdong Romanization: tin¹ yu⁵ sug¹, ma⁵ seng¹ gog³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰiːn⁵⁵ jyː¹³ sʊk̚⁵ maː¹³ sɐŋ⁵⁵ kɔːk̚³/

Idiom

天雨粟，馬生角

1. (literary) when pigs fly

Related terms

• 馬生角／马生角 (mǎ shēng jiǎo, “impossibility”)
• 烏頭白，馬生角／乌头白，马生角 (wū tóu bái mǎ shēng jiǎo, “impossibility”)
• 天粟馬角／天粟马角 (tiān sù mǎ jiǎo, “impossibility”)
• (Min Nan) 天落紅雨，馬生角／天落红雨，马生角 (thiⁿ lo̍h âng-hō͘, bé seⁿ kak, “impossibility”); 天落紅雨，馬發角／天落红雨，马发角 (thiⁿ lo̍h âng-hō͘, bé hoat kak, “impossibility”)