a form of theatrical double act in which one performer speaks or sings while the other, in front, pretends to be doing the speaking or singing / double reed (as in an oboe or bassoon)
(old) the family of the victim in a murder case / (Tw, HK) victim (of a crime, misfortune etc) / (Tw) (coll.) person who bears the burden while others benefit;
to play the xiao 簫|箫[xiao1] (mouth organ) / to beg while playing pipes / cf politician Wu Zixu 伍子胥[Wu3 Zi3 xu1], c. 520 BC destitute refugee in Wu town, 吳市吹簫|吴市吹箫[Wu2 shi4 chui1 xiao1] / to busk / virtuoso piper wins a beauty, cf 玉人吹簫|玉人吹箫[yu4 ren2 chui1 xiao1] / (slang) fellatio / blowjob
classifier for small objects: coins, badges, rings, carved seals, chess pieces, eggs, fingerprints etc (more formal than 個|个[ge4]) / classifier for bombs, missiles, satellites etc / (on product packaging) classifier for flat items (from Japanese 枚 "mai") / (old) stick used as a gag to prevent soldiers from talking while sneaking up on the enemy
variant of 拉[la2] (Note: 剌[la2] was the character used prior to simplification and remains the standard in Taiwan, while in mainland China, 拉[la2] has replaced 剌[la2])
tiger bench (torture method in which the victim sits with legs extended horizontally along a bench, upper legs held down with straps while bricks are inserted under the feet, forcing the knee joint to bend in reverse)
lit. secretly crossing the Wei River 渭河[Wei4 He2] at Chencang (idiom, refers to a stratagem used by Liu Bang 劉邦|刘邦[Liu2 Bang1] in 206 BC against Xiang Yu 項羽|项羽[Xiang4 Yu3] of Chu) / fig. to feign one thing while doing another / to cheat under cover of a diversion
the empty city stratagem (in which Zhuge Liang presents himself as unperturbed while making it evident that his city is undefended, hoping his adversary will suspect an ambush) / double bluff
lit. viewing the sky with a basin on one's head / it is hard to get a clear view of the sky while carrying a platter on one's head / fig. it is hard to get on in one's career while encumbered by family obligations / one can't perform a major task while bothered by other duties
to beg while playing the xiao 簫|箫[xiao1] (mouth organ) / cf Wu Zixu 伍子胥[Wu3 Zi3 xu1], destitute refugee from Chu 楚[Chu3], busked in Wu town c. 520 BC, then became a powerful politician
to beg while playing the xiao 簫|箫[xiao1] (mouth organ) / cf Wu Zixu 伍子胥[Wu3 Zi3 xu1], destitute refugee from Chu 楚[Chu3], busked in Wu town c. 520 BC, then became a powerful politician
to live in the moment (idiom) / to live every day as if it were one's last / to enjoy while one can
The four tones
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