断袖之癖

Traditional: 斷袖之癖
duàn xiù zhī pǐ
Dictionary entry
lit. cut sleeve (idiom); fig. euphemism for homosexuality, originating from History of Western Han 漢書|汉书: emperor Han Aidi (real name Liu Xin) was in bed with his lover Dong Xian, and had to attend a court audience that morning. Not wishing to awaken Dong Xian, who was sleeping with his head resting on the emperor's long robe sleeve, Aidi used a knife to cut off the lower half of his sleeve.

What does 断袖之癖 mean?

断袖之癖 (duàn xiù zhī pǐ) has the following dictionary meaning.

1lit. cut sleeve (idiom); fig. euphemism for homosexuality, originating from History of Western Han 漢書|汉书: emperor Han Aidi (real name Liu Xin) was in bed with his lover Dong Xian, and had to attend a court audience that morning. Not wishing to awaken Dong Xian, who was sleeping with his head resting on the emperor's long robe sleeve, Aidi used a knife to cut off the lower half of his sleeve.

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How to pronounce 断袖之癖

断袖之癖
duàn xiù zhī pǐ
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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.