易子而食

Chinese

		change; easy; simple	child; son; (noun suffix) child; son; (noun suffix); small thing; seed; egg; 1st earthly branch; 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight	and; as well as; but (not) and; as well as; but (not); yet (not); (shows causal relation); (shows change of state); (shows contrast)	eat; food; to feed eat; food; to feed; animal feed
trad. (易子而食)		易	子	而	食
simp. #(易子而食)		易	子	而	食

Etymology

From Zuo Zhuan:

敝邑易子而食，析骸以爨。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

Bìyì yìzǐ'érshí, xīháiyǐcuàn. [Pinyin]

In the city we are exchanging our children and eating them, and splitting up their bones for fuel.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yìzǐ'érshí

  (Zhuyin): ㄧˋ ㄗˇ ㄦˊ ㄕˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jik⁶ zi² ji⁴ sik⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yìzǐ'érshí
    • Zhuyin: ㄧˋ ㄗˇ ㄦˊ ㄕˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yìzǐh-érshíh
    • Wade–Giles: i⁴-tzŭ³-êrh²-shih²
    • Yale: yì-dž-ér-shŕ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yihtzyyerlshyr
    • Palladius: ицзыэрши (iczyerši)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /i⁵¹ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jik⁶ zi² ji⁴ sik⁶
    • Yale: yihk jí yìh sihk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jik⁹ dzi² ji⁴ sik⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: yig⁶ ji² yi⁴ xig⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɪk̚² t͡siː³⁵ jiː²¹ sɪk̚²/

Idiom

易子而食

1. (archaic) to exchange own children with one another and then eat them (describing dire famines)

   • 他對我講書的時候，親口說過可以易子而食；又一回偶然議論起一個不好的人，他便說不但該殺，還當食肉寢皮。 […] 既然可以易子而食，便什麼都易得，什麼人都吃得。 [MSC, trad.]
     他对我讲书的时候，亲口说过可以易子而食；又一回偶然议论起一个不好的人，他便说不但该杀，还当食肉寝皮。 […] 既然可以易子而食，便什么都易得，什么人都吃得。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1918 May, Lu Xun, 《狂人日記》(A Madman's Diary)

     Tā duì wǒ jiǎngshū de shíhòu, qīnkǒu shuōguò kěyǐ yìzǐ'érshí; yòuyīhuí ǒurán yìlùnqǐ yīge bùhǎo de rén, tā biàn shuō bùdàn gāi shā, hái dāng shíròuqǐnpí. […] jìrán kěyǐ yìzǐ'érshí, biàn shénme dōu yì dé, shénme rén dōu chī dé. [Pinyin]

     When he was teaching me, he told me himself, it is totally possible for people to exchange their sons to allay their hunger. And once in discussing a bad man he said that not only did the fellow deserve to be slain, he should “have his flesh eaten and his hide slept on.” [...] Since it is possible to exchange sons to eat, then anything can be exchanged, anyone can be eaten.