逃之夭夭

Chinese

		to escape; to run away; to flee	's; him/her/it; this
trad. (逃之夭夭)		逃	之	夭夭
simp. #(逃之夭夭)		逃	之	夭夭

Etymology

A homophonic pun based on the following line from the Classic of Poetry, poem 6 (《詩經·周南·桃夭》), by replacing 桃 (táo, “peach”) with 逃 (táo, “to escape”):

桃之夭夭，灼灼其華，
之子于歸，宜其室家。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

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桃之夭夭，灼灼其华，
之子于归，宜其室家。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Táo zhī yāoyāo, zhuózhuó qí huá,
Zhī zǐ yú guī, yí qí shì jiā. [Pinyin]

The peach tree is young and elegant; Brilliant are its flowers.
This young lady is going to her future home, And will order well her chamber and house.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): táozhīyāoyāo

  (Zhuyin): ㄊㄠˊ ㄓ ㄧㄠ ㄧㄠ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): tou⁴ zi¹ jiu¹ jiu¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): tô-chi-iau-iau

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: táozhīyāoyāo
    • Zhuyin: ㄊㄠˊ ㄓ ㄧㄠ ㄧㄠ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: táojhihyaoyao
    • Wade–Giles: tʻao²-chih¹-yao¹-yao¹
    • Yale: táu-jr̄-yāu-yāu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: taurjyiauiau
    • Palladius: таочжияояо (taočžijaojao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰɑʊ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ jɑʊ̯⁵⁵ jɑʊ̯⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: tou⁴ zi¹ jiu¹ jiu¹
    • Yale: tòuh jī yīu yīu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tou⁴ dzi¹ jiu¹ jiu¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: tou⁴ ji¹ yiu¹ yiu¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰou̯²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ jiːu̯⁵⁵ jiːu̯⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tô-chi-iau-iau
    • Tâi-lô: tô-tsi-iau-iau
    • Phofsit Daibuun: doici'iau'iaw
    • IPA (Xiamen): /to²⁴⁻²² t͡si⁴⁴⁻²² iau⁴⁴⁻²² iau⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /tɤ²³⁻³³ t͡si⁴⁴⁻³³ iau⁴⁴⁻³³ iau⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /to²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡si⁴⁴⁻³³ iau⁴⁴⁻³³ iau⁴⁴/

Verb

逃之夭夭

1. (humorous) to flee; to take to one's heels

Synonyms

• (Hokkien) 走甲裂褲跤／走甲裂裤跤