馋涎欲滴 — “To drool with greed”
馋涎欲滴 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to drool with greed”. To make one's mouth water; to hanker after something delicious or desirable. Literally, “greedy saliva is about to drip”.
馋涎欲滴 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 馋chán
- 涎xián
- 欲yù
- 滴dī
馋涎欲滴 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 馋涎欲滴
Origin and Story of 馋涎欲滴
During the Song Dynasty, Su Shi had a close relationship with Sun Jue, the prefect of Wuxing, and they often composed poetry together. In 1072, Su Shi wrote the poem '将之湖州戏赠莘老' (Jokes to Xin Lao as I am about to go to Huzhou).
In it, he praised the local delicacies of Huzhou, writing lines such as '顾渚茶芽白于齿，梅溪木瓜红胜颊。吴儿脍缕薄欲飞，未去先说馋涎垂。' These lines vividly describe his anticipation and desire for Huzhou's famous Gugu tea buds (white as teeth), Meixi's papayas (redder than cheeks), and the thinly sliced fish sashimi (so thin it seemed to fly) prepared by the local people, implying that his mouth was already watering before he even arrived.
Idioms Related to 馋涎欲滴
Synonyms of 馋涎欲滴
More idioms starting with 馋
Questions about 馋涎欲滴
- What does 馋涎欲滴 mean?
- 馋涎欲滴 (chán xián yù dī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to drool with greed”.
- How do you pronounce 馋涎欲滴?
- 馋涎欲滴 is pronounced chán xián yù dī in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 馋涎欲滴 literally mean?
- Literally, 馋涎欲滴 means “greedy saliva is about to drip”. It is used to mean “to drool with greed”.
- Where does 馋涎欲滴 come from?
- 馋涎欲滴 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to modern Chinese. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 馋涎欲滴?
- 涎：口水。馋得口水都要滴下来了。形容极其贪馋的样子。也形容非常眼红。