Yet another literary misreading by Xi Jinping
This one amounts to a Sinitic spoonerism.
In his major July 1 speech celebrating the 100th anniversary of the CCP, Xi Jinping wanted to impress people with this set phrase:
yízhǐqìshǐ
頤指氣使 / 颐指气使
lit. "chin / jaw / cheek — point out / at [with a finger] — haughty attitude / bearing — command / order / dispatch"
i.e., "(arrogantly / contemptuously) give orders; boss people around (by looks and gestures)"
Instead, what came out of his mouth was this:
yíshǐqìzhǐ
頤使氣指
which might be playfully rendered as something like "beatbrow"
This expression goes back to at least the Tang period (618-907).
Read the rest of this entry »