To hold one's sides with laughter; to laugh uncontrollably and heartily, often at something extremely funny or ridiculous.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Synonym:
Antonym:
Story:
During the Western Han Dynasty, Song Zhong, a Zhong Dafu (Grand Master of the Household), and Jia Yi, a scholar, went to the East Market to visit Sima Jizhi, a renowned fortune-teller.
They observed him teaching his disciples about the movements of the sun and moon, and the principles of yin and yang, as well as auspicious and inauspicious signs. Captivated by his words, they asked him why he engaged in such a lowly profession.
Sima Jizhi burst into hearty laughter, clutching his belly, and retorted, "Do your high officials become noble by deceiving their superiors and subordinates, and engaging in schemes and trickery?"