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Ya Wen
Sweat like a pig to look like a wolf. Is it a blessing?
There is a saying: "Sweat like a pig to look like a fox."
In Chinese lunar calendar, 2019 is Year of the Pig. Next week will be Chinese New Year, so I am looking for some pig-related blessings words, then I found this one.
Can I use it as a blessing to wish someone not only transforms his body shape, but also his essence of being?
Are there other pig-related blessings?
Thanks in advance.
Feb 1, 2019 1:29 AM
Answers · 2
1
It's more of an encouragement than a blessing. We call a physically attractive woman a "fox". If you are exercising, you are sweating heavily. If you are sweating heavily, you are "sweating like a pig." So, if you exercise in order to make yourself look sexy, you are "sweating like a pig [in order] to look like a fox." "Sweating like a pig" and "looking foxy" are both common expressions, but I had never seen them combined this way before.
In general, the pig is seen as a bad animal in the West: most expressions that have to do with them are negative or insulting.
However, you might try something like "pig out"=to eat wildly.
"On this Year of the Pig Chunjie, feel free to pig out on tangyuan and zongzi"
Another one: "high on the hog". More expensive cuts of meat are closer to a hog's back, and cheaper cuts are closer to its stomach, so rich people eat "high on the hog"
"In this Year of the Pig, I hope you can live high on the hog."
February 1, 2019
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Ya Wen
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), English
Learning Language
English
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