reed membrane; distant relative
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 4 examplesnoun
the thin membrane inside a reed stem
literaryA highly specific botanical term from classical Chinese.
Gǔ古
rén人
yǐ以
jiā葭
fú莩
zhī之
bó薄
，
yù喻
qīn亲
qíng情
zhī之
shū疏
。
Ancient people used the thinness of the reed membrane as a metaphor for distant kinship.
noun
distant relative; remote kin
literaryUsed metaphorically to describe very distant or barely existing familial ties. Often appears in the phrase "葭莩之亲" (jiā fú zhī qīn).
Wǒ我
yǔ与
nà那
wèi位
zhǎng长
bèi辈
bù不
guò过
shì是
jiā葭
fú莩
zhī之
qīn亲
。
That elder and I are nothing more than distant relatives.
Tā他
men们
liǎng两
jiā家
suī虽
yǒu有
yīn姻
qīn亲
，
shí实
zé则
yǐ已
rú如
jiā葭
fú莩
。
Although the two families are related by marriage, in reality the connection is as thin as a reed membrane.
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Jiā葭
fú莩
zhī之
qīn亲
，
qí其
qíng情
yì亦
bó薄
。
The affection between distant relatives is also thin.