Have you ever come across a seemingly simple word that makes you pause when you are reading an ancient book?
The shape of this word is not complicated, but the pronunciation makes many people scratch their heads. It is neither pronounced dì nor tì, so what exactly is its correct pronunciation?
Before revealing the answer, let's talk about the meaning of the word "啻" and its clever use in ancient literature.
In ancient Chinese, the character "啻" contains the meaning of "only, only", and it is often accompanied by words that express doubt or negation, such as "no other", "匪啻", "奚啻", etc., these phrases play a connecting role in the sentence, adding a bit of antiquity to the sentence structure.
Huang Tingjian, a writer in the Northern Song Dynasty, while tasting tea with his friends, wrote "Drama Answer to Ouyang Chengfa Feng Xie Yu to Send Tea Song", in the poem "Straight face is nothing less than that, love the public and good poems can be more", is to use "no less" to express the value of tea and good poetry, far more than 10 million.
The "Nothing Less" here is like an ingenious bridge, connecting tea and poetry, highlighting the preciousness of both.
And the magic of "no less" doesn't stop there. It can also be used to describe things or phenomena that seem insignificant, but in fact have far-reaching implications.
Just as Pu Songling depicted in "Strange Tales of Liao Zhai: Promoting Weaving", a small cricket can make the whole family cheer, and its value is "even the arch of the city".
The "no less" here subtly conveys the extraordinary value of crickets, as if to say: "Don't underestimate this cricket, its value is no less than that of Liancheng Biyu!" ”
Now, let's go back to the original question, what is the correct pronunciation of "啻"?
It's just – chì! Yes, you heard it right, it's this simple and wonderful syllable. When you pronounce this word correctly, does it feel as if a door to ancient literature has been opened?
Whether it is the tea and poems in Huang Tingjian's poems, or the precious crickets in Pu Songling's pen, they all make us feel the rich connotation and ingenious use of the word "no less".
Speaking of which, are you already eager to try and use this ancient word in your life? Try using expressions like "Your talent is as good as a great person" the next time you compliment a friend, and you will definitely add some elegance and depth to your words.
"It is no less than the abyss" of the heavens, which is used as a metaphor for the difference between two things or situations, as great as the distance between the heavens and the deep pool.
Imagine the distance between the sky and the deep pool, one is high and unreachable, and the other is bottomless and mysterious waters. And "no less than the abyss" borrows such an image to describe the great difference between things. Now, do you have a deeper understanding of this idiom?
So, the next time you come across the word "啻" again, don't hesitate to pronounce it out loud – chì!