eat unripe crops; graze on green shoots
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 4 examplesverb
to harvest and eat crops before they are fully ripe
dialectA dialectal term. Often describes a practice of harvesting grain (like wheat or rice) early in its development, perhaps out of necessity, leading to lower yield or quality.
Nà那
nián年
nào闹
jī饥
huang荒
，
děng等
bù不
jí及
mài麦
zi子
shú熟
tòu透
，
dà大
jiā家
zhǐ只
hǎo好
kěn肯
qīng青
。
That year there was a famine; people couldn't wait for the wheat to fully ripen and had to harvest and eat it unripe.
Zhè这
piàn片
dào稻
zi子
zhǎng长
de得
màn慢
，
xiàn现
zài在
kěn肯
qīng青
tài太
kě可
xī惜
le了
。
This paddy is growing slowly; harvesting it unripe now would be such a waste.
verb
(of livestock) to graze on young green crops
dialectA dialectal term. Refers to livestock feeding on the tender, green shoots of crops, which can cause damage to the fields.
Bǎ把
niú牛
shuān拴
hǎo好
，
bié别
ràng让
tā它
pǎo跑
dào到
dì地
li里
kěn肯
qīng青
。
Tie up the cow properly; don't let it run into the field and graze on the young crops.
Tā他
jiā家
de的
yáng羊
zuó昨
tiān天
kěn肯
qīng青
le了
，
bǎ把
lín邻
jū居
de的
mài麦
miáo苗
kěn啃
le了
yī一
dà大
piàn片
。
His family's sheep grazed on the green shoots yesterday and ate a large patch of the neighbor's wheat seedlings.