<p>闲 - idle</p>
<p>而 - therefore</p>
<p>生 - create/ grow</p>
<p>懒 - lazy</p>
<p>懒 - lazy</p>
<p>生 - grow /create</p>
<p>肉 - flesh/ meat</p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;闲而生懒，懒生肉&quot; = &quot;Idleness grows laziness, laziness
(makes you) grows flesh&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p><em>'grow flesh' is a polite way to say 'become fat'</em></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-12T07:54:31.497Z
That makes a lot more sense! Thanks!
Coleman Gailloreto
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-12T08:15:21.610Z
Idleness begets laziness, laziness begets fleshiness
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-12T06:15:10.487Z
2021-02-12T06:15:10.487Z
Tang Ho
<p>I'm trying to translate a poem with the title &quot;Plum In The Basket&quot;. The subject matter of most of the poem revolves around eating plums and plum wine, but the opening line, key to understanding the poem's overall theme, is this:</p>
<p>&quot;闲而生懒，懒生肉&quot;</p>
<p>Currently, I've translated this verse as <em>&quot;Leisure and the onset of sloth, the sloth of raw meat.&quot;</em></p>
<p>I feel like I'm missing a bit of symbolic nuance in the phrases &quot;懒&quot; and &quot;生肉&quot; that might be more obvious to experienced Chinese translators. Am I on the right track? Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-12T06:31:13.743Z
One who has too much leisure time becomes lazy.
joehua
<simplified-characters><poetry>
Symbolism Of A Verse From A Chinese Poem
# Symbolism Of A Verse From A Chinese Poem

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-02-12)

I'm trying to translate a poem with the title "Plum In The Basket". The subject matter of most of the poem revolves around eating plums and plum wine, but the opening line, key to understanding the poem's overall theme, is this:

"闲而生懒，懒生肉"

Currently, I've translated this verse as *"Leisure and the onset of sloth, the sloth of raw meat."*

I feel like I'm missing a bit of symbolic nuance in the phrases "懒" and "生肉" that might be more obvious to experienced Chinese translators. Am I on the right track? Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.

**Tags:** simplified-characters, poetry

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: One who has too much leisure time becomes lazy.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-02-12. Score: 1

闲 - idle

而 - therefore

生 - create/ grow

懒 - lazy

懒 - lazy

生 - grow /create

肉 - flesh/ meat

> "闲而生懒，懒生肉" = "Idleness grows laziness, laziness
> (makes you) grows flesh"

*'grow flesh' is a polite way to say 'become fat'*

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: That makes a lot more sense! Thanks!  
> **username_3**: Idleness begets laziness, laziness begets fleshiness  

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