斷鶴續鳧

Chinese

	to break; to judge; absolutely to break; to judge; absolutely; decidedly	crane	continue; replenish	wild duck; to swim
trad. (斷鶴續鳧)	斷	鶴	續	鳧
simp. (断鹤续凫)	断	鹤	续	凫
variant forms	續鳧斷鶴／续凫断鹤
Literally: “to shorten the legs of a crane and lengthen those of a wild duck”.

Etymology

From the book Zhuangzi:

長者不為有餘，短者不為不足，是故鳧脛雖短，續之則憂，鶴脛雖長，斷之則悲。 [Classical Chinese, trad.][▼ expand/hide]

长者不为有余，短者不为不足，是故凫胫虽短，续之则忧，鹤胫虽长，断之则悲。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

Cháng zhě bù wéi yǒuyú, duǎn zhě bù wéi bùzú, shìgù fú jìng suī duǎn, xù zhī zé yōu, hè jìng suī cháng, duàn zhī zé bēi. [Pinyin]

What is long should not be considered too long, nor what is short too short. A duck's legs, for instance, are short, but if we try to lengthen them, it occasions pain; and a crane's legs are long, but if we try to cut off a portion of them, it produces grief.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): duànhèxùfú

(Zhuyin): ㄉㄨㄢˋ ㄏㄜˋ ㄒㄩˋ ㄈㄨˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): dyun⁶ hok⁶ zuk⁶ fu⁴

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Pinyin: duànhèxùfú
  - Zhuyin: ㄉㄨㄢˋ ㄏㄜˋ ㄒㄩˋ ㄈㄨˊ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: duannhehshiwfwu
  - IPA ^(key): /tu̯än⁵¹⁻⁵³ xɤ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕy⁵¹ fu³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: dyun⁶ hok⁶ zuk⁶ fu⁴
  - Yale: dyuhn hohk juhk fùh
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dyn⁶ hok⁹ dzuk⁹ fu⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: dün⁶ hog⁶ zug⁶ fu⁴
  - IPA ^(key): /tyːn²² hɔːk̚² t͡sʊk̚² fuː²¹/

Idiom

斷鶴續鳧

(figuratively) to go against nature

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