炙手可熱
Chinese
| broil | hand; convenient; ‑er | can; may; able to can; may; able to; certain(ly); to suit; (particle used for emphasis) |
heat; to heat up; fervent heat; to heat up; fervent; hot (of weather); warm up | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (炙手可熱) | 炙 | 手 | 可 | 熱 | |
| simp. (炙手可热) | 炙 | 手 | 可 | 热 | |
| Literally: “burn your hand, feel the heat”. | |||||
Etymology
From a poem by Du Fu:
- 炙手可熱勢絕倫，慎莫近前丞相嗔。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: Tang dynasty, Du Fu, Fair Ladies: A Ballad (《麗人行》), translation by Stephen Owen, The Poetry of Du Fu
Note: This is a satire of the minister Yang Guozhong on the occasion of a visit, when he was accompanied by his favourite Lady Yang (Yang Guifei), and her two sisters. - Zhìshǒukěrè shì juélún, shèn mò jìnqián chéngxiàng chēn. [Pinyin]
- Heat that can burn the hands, power beyond all measure―
Take care not to come close before the Minister's angry glare!
炙手可热势绝伦，慎莫近前丞相嗔。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]- From: Tang dynasty, Du Fu, Fair Ladies: A Ballad (《麗人行》), translation by Stephen Owen, The Poetry of Du Fu
Pronunciation
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