WOTD: 借酒浇愁

Randomly picking a word (uniform distribution) from my database list brings us a fun little chengyu about self-medication.

The literal construction means “borrow alcohol to pour on worries,” though Pleco renders it much more poetically as “to drown one’s sorrows.”

Though “borrow” and “lend” are the main meanings of 借 (jie4), a less frequently used gloss of “by means of” is being utilized in this expression. 酒 (jiu3) is straightforward. The use of 浇 (jiao1) is quite interesting because it is most commonly used in gardening contexts with 浇水/浇花 (to water), thus evoking stronger imagery of pouring alcohol on one’s worries. There is a variant of the chengyu where 浇 is replaced by 消 (xiao1, meaning “disappear”). Finally, 愁 (chou2) can function as a noun or a verb, but usually pairs with 发 (fa1) as 发愁 to mean “to worry.”

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