落湯雞

See also: 落汤鸡

Chinese

FWOTD – 3 December 2020

		to fall; to drop (behind); leave behind	soup; hot water	fowl; chicken
trad. (落湯雞/落湯鷄)		落	湯	雞/鷄
simp. (落汤鸡)		落	汤	鸡
Literally: “a chicken that fell in hot water”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): luòtāngjī

  (Zhuyin): ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄊㄤ ㄐㄧ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): lok⁶ tong¹ gai¹
• Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁸loq-than₁-ci₁ / ⁸loq-³than₁-ci₁

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: luòtāngjī
    • Zhuyin: ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄊㄤ ㄐㄧ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: luòtangji
    • Wade–Giles: lo⁴-tʻang¹-chi¹
    • Yale: lwò-tāng-jī
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: luohtangji
    • Palladius: лотанцзи (lotanczi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lu̯ɔ⁵¹ tʰɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: lok⁶ tong¹ gai¹
    • Yale: lohk tōng gāi
    • Cantonese Pinyin: lok⁹ tong¹ gai¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: log⁶ tong¹ gei¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɔːk̚² tʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ kɐi̯⁵⁵/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁸loq-than₁-ci₁
    • MiniDict: loh^入 than^平 ci^平
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ⁵loq-than₁-ji₁
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /loʔ¹¹ tʰã²² t͡ɕi²³/
  • (Northern: Suzhou)
    • Wugniu: ⁸loq-³than₁-ci₁
    • MiniDict: loh^入 than^平 ci^平
    • Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /loʔ²² tʰã⁵¹ t͡ɕi/

Noun

落湯雞

1. (idiomatic, figurative) someone who is soaking wet; someone who looks like a drowned rat

   • 出來尋道士，渰死在山溪。撈得上來大家看，卻如一個落湯雞！ [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     出来寻道士，渰死在山溪。捞得上来大家看，却如一个落汤鸡！ [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: Wu Cheng'en, Journey to the West, 16^th century CE

     Chūlái xún dàoshì, yǎn sǐ zài shānxī. Lāo de shànglái dàjiā kàn, què rú yī ge luòtāngjī! [Pinyin]

     We went out to search for the Taoist priest, [found him] drowned in the mountain stream. When we fished him out for everyone to see, he was like a drenched chicken.

2. (idiomatic, figurative) someone in a difficult situation

   • 那老嫗聞言，好像落湯雞一般，口不能言。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     那老妪闻言，好像落汤鸡一般，口不能言。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: Feng Menglong, Stories to Awaken the World, 1627 CE

     Nà lǎoyù wén yán, hǎoxiàng luòtāngjī yībān, kǒu bùnéng yán. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)