literary hanger-on; idle retainer
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
literary hanger-on; idle retainer
archaicArchaic term referring to dependents kept by wealthy bureaucrat or landlord families for literary entertainment, companionship, or to help pass time, rather than for manual labor.
Tā他
bù不
guò过
shì是
háo豪
mén门
yǎng养
de的
yī一
míng名
qīng清
kè客
。
He was nothing more than a literary hanger-on kept by a wealthy family.
Jiù旧
shí时
de的
qīng清
kè客
wǎng往
wǎng往
shàn擅
cháng长
yín吟
shī诗
zuò作
huà画
。
Literary hangers-on of the past were often skilled at reciting poetry and painting.
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Zhè这
zuò座
yuán园
lín林
céng曾
shì是
guì贵
zú族
qīng清
kè客
men们
jù聚
huì会
zhī之
suǒ所
。
This garden was once a gathering place for aristocratic literary hangers-on.
Tā他
nìng宁
kě可
zuò做
qīng清
kè客
，
yě也
bù不
yuàn愿
gēng耕
tián田
zhòng种
dì地
。
He would rather be a literary hanger-on than till the fields.