spring outing; visit brothels
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 4 examplesverb
to go on outings in spring or during festivals (originally referring to men and women enjoying outdoor recreation together)
archaicOriginally a neutral term for seasonal excursions in classical Chinese, often found in literary texts.
Gǔ古
rén人
yú于
chūn春
rì日
yě冶
yóu游
，
yǐn饮
jiǔ酒
fù赋
shī诗
，
bù不
yì亦
lè乐
hū乎
？
The ancients would go on spring outings, drinking wine and composing poetry—was that not delightful?
Cháng长
ān安
shì士
nǚ女
měi每
zhì至
zhēng正
yuè月
bàn半
hòu后
，
jí即
chéng乘
chē车
kuà跨
mǎ马
，
yì诣
yuán园
yòu囿
zhōng中
yě冶
yóu游
。
The gentlemen and ladies of Chang'an would ride horses and carriages to the gardens for spring outings shortly after the middle of the first month.
verb
to visit brothels; to patronize prostitutes
derogatoryA specialized, derogatory usage that evolved from the original meaning of 'outing.' Now refers specifically to visiting prostitutes.
Tā他
shào少
nián年
shí时
yě冶
yóu游
wú无
dù度
，
hào耗
jìn尽
jiā家
cái财
。
In his youth, he visited brothels without restraint, exhausting his family fortune.
Jiù旧
shí时
de的
wén文
rén人
cháng常
bǎ把
yě冶
yóu游
dàng当
zuò作
fēng风
liú流
yùn韵
shì事
xiě写
rù入
shī诗
zhōng中
。
Scholars of old often wrote of visiting brothels as romantic affairs in their poetry.