in ill health

in ill health

Trouble of collecting firewood, Chinese idiom, Pinyin is C ǎ IX ī nzh ī Hu à n, meaning sick can't get firewood. A euphemism claiming to be ill. From Mencius Gongsun Chou Xia.

Idiom explanation

Mencius Gongsun Chou Xia: "in the past, there was a king's life, and there was a worry about collecting salaries, so it was impossible to build a dynasty."

Idiom usage

The euphemism of "sick" has been lost for three times, still hovering under the threshold, but being bullied by the wind and dew, resulting in the trouble of getting paid. Chapter three and seven of a dream of Red Mansions

Analysis of Idioms

[synonym]: worry and disease of collecting firewood

Idiom story

In the Grand View Garden, people eat, drink and play all day, and the days are a bit monotonous. Tanchun had a whim when he was in trouble of collecting salaries. He wanted to organize a poetry club to pass the boring time, so he wrote to Baoyu, Daiyu and Baochai, inviting them to participate. Baoyu especially liked to write poems and Fu, so they formed a seven person Haitang society.