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。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, 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

(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.