píng平yuán原dū督yóu邮
A euphemism for inferior or low-quality wine; bad wine.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Antonym:
Story:
During the Wei-Jin period, Huan Wen's chief clerk was known for his ability to distinguish good wine from bad. He named good wine "Qingzhou Congshi" (Prefect of Qingzhou), because Qingzhou had Qi County, and "Qi" (齐) was a homophone for "Qi" (脐, navel), implying that good wine's strength reached the navel.
Conversely, he referred to inferior wine as "Pingyuan Duyou" (Inspector of Pingyuan), because Pingyuan Commandery had Li County (鬲县), and "Li" (鬲) was a homophone for "Ge" (膈, diaphragm), signifying that the poor wine's effect only reached the chest or diaphragm.