尸位素餐

Chinese

		to hold one's position like a corpse; to hold one's position without doing anything	to eat without working; to maintain a vegetarian diet
trad. (尸位素餐)		尸位	素餐
simp. #(尸位素餐)		尸位	素餐

Etymology

今朝廷大臣，上不能匡主，下亡以益民，皆尸位素餐。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

From: The Book of Han, circa 1^st century CE

Jīn cháotíng dàchén, shàng bù néng kuāngzhǔ, xià wú yǐ yìmín, jiē shīwèisùcān. [Pinyin]

Now in the royal court, ministers who can't assist the emperor or benefit the people all hold their positions and live without doing anything.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shīwèisùcān

  (Zhuyin): ㄕ ㄨㄟˋ ㄙㄨˋ ㄘㄢ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): si¹ wai⁶ sou³ caan¹
• Eastern Min (BUC): sĭ-ôi-só-chuăng
• Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): si¹ ui⁷ su³ cang¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shīwèisùcān
    • Zhuyin: ㄕ ㄨㄟˋ ㄙㄨˋ ㄘㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shihwèisùcan
    • Wade–Giles: shih¹-wei⁴-su⁴-tsʻan¹
    • Yale: shr̄-wèi-sù-tsān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyweysuhtsan
    • Palladius: шивэйсуцань (šivɛjsucanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ weɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ su⁵¹ t͡sʰän⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: si¹ wai⁶ sou³ caan¹
    • Yale: sī waih sou chāan
    • Cantonese Pinyin: si¹ wai⁶ sou³ tsaan¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: xi¹ wei⁶ sou³ can¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siː⁵⁵ wɐi̯²² sou̯³³ t͡sʰaːn⁵⁵/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: sĭ-ôi-só-chuăng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /si⁵⁵⁻⁵³ ui²⁴²⁽⁻²¹⁾ ^(s-)lu²¹³⁻⁵⁵ ^(t͡sʰ-)ʒuaŋ⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: si¹ ui⁷ su³ cang¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: si ūi sù tshang
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /si³³⁻²³ ui¹¹ su²¹³⁻⁵⁵ t͡sʰaŋ³³/

---

• Middle Chinese: syij hwijH suH tshan

Rime
Character	尸	位	素	餐
Reading #	1/1	1/1	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	書 (26)	云 (35)	心 (16)	清 (14)
Final (韻)	脂 (15)	脂 (18)	模 (23)	寒 (61)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)	Departing (H)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Closed	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	III	I	I
Fanqie	式之切	于愧切	桑故切	七安切
Baxter	syij	hwijH	suH	tshan
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɕiɪ/	/ɦˠiuɪH/	/suoH/	/t͡sʰɑn/
Pan Wuyun	/ɕi/	/ɦʷᵚiH/	/suoH/	/t͡sʰɑn/
Shao Rongfen	/ɕjɪ/	/ɣiuɪH/	/soH/	/t͡sʰɑn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɕi/	/ɦjwiH/	/sɔH/	/t͡sʰan/
Li Rong	/ɕi/	/ɣjuiH/	/soH/	/t͡sʰɑn/
Wang Li	/ɕi/	/ɣwiH/	/suH/	/t͡sʰɑn/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ɕi/	/wiH/	/suoH/	/t͡sʰɑn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shī	wèi	sù	cān
Expected Cantonese Reflex	si1	wai6	sou3	caan1

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*hli  ɢʷrɯbs  saːs  sʰaːn/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	尸	位	素
Reading #	1/1	1/1	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	shī	wèi	sù
Middle Chinese	‹ syij ›	‹ hwijH ›	‹ suH ›
Old Chinese	/*l̥̥[ə]j/	/*[ɢ]ʷrəp-s/ (< *ɢʷəʔ-rəp-s ?)	/*[s]ˁak-s/
English	corpse	standing, position	white silk
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	尸	位	素	餐
Reading #	1/1	1/1	1/1	1/1
No.	11396	7865	12099	1117
Phonetic component	尸	立	素	粲
Rime group	脂	內	魚	元
Rime subdivision	2	1	0	1
Corresponding MC rime		位	訴	餐
Old Chinese	/*hli/	/*ɢʷrɯbs/	/*saːs/	/*sʰaːn/
Notes				聲符皆爲歺又

Idiom

尸位素餐

1. (derogatory or humble) hold one's position and live without doing anything

   • 為什麼元好問要說「當官避事平生恥」？習總書記為什麼又要說「為官避事平生恥」呢？因為在我們中國人看來啊，在其位就得謀其政，一個人要是尸位素餐的話，本身就是為人不齒的一件事。 [MSC, trad.]
     为什么元好问要说「当官避事平生耻」？习总书记为什么又要说「为官避事平生耻」呢？因为在我们中国人看来啊，在其位就得谋其政，一个人要是尸位素餐的话，本身就是为人不齿的一件事。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 2021 February 21, 《为官避事平生耻》 (text), in 《平“语”近人——习近平喜欢的典故》, season 2, episode 4, CCTV-1, spoken by Meng Man, 5:59 from the start

     Wèishénme Yuán Hàowèn yào shuō “dāngguān bìshì píngshēng chǐ”? Xí zǒngshūjì wèishénme yòu yào shuō “wéi guān bìshì píngshēng chǐ” ne? Yīnwèi zài wǒmen zhōngguórén kànlái a, zài qí wèi jiù děi móu qí zhèng, yīge rén yàoshì shīwèisùcān dehuà, běnshēn jiùshì wéi rén bùchǐ de yī jiàn shì. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Synonyms

• 尸素 (shīsù) (short form)
• 素餐尸位
• 尸祿素餐 (shīlùsùcān)
• 尸祿素食
• 尸利素餐 (shīlìsùcān)
• 飽食終日／饱食终日 (bǎoshízhōngrì)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (尸位素餐):

• → Japanese: 尸(し)位(い)素(そ)餐(さん) (shīsosan)