hunch one 's shoulders and bow one 's back

hunch one 's shoulders and bow one 's back

Arched shoulders and hunched back, a Chinese word, is used to describe aging or unhealthy posture, which comes from a dream of Red Mansions.

Spandrel: shoulders up. He shrugged his shoulders and bent his waist. Describes aging or unhealthy posture.

[source] Chapter 51 of a dream of Red Mansions by Cao Xueqin in the Qing Dynasty: "he is the only one who wears those old leather clothes and shows his back more and more. It's very pitiful to see him!"

[example] Ji Xiantang can't help laughing when he sees that he's swinging. The 18th chapter of biography of heroes and heroines by Wen Kang in Qing Dynasty

It is used as an attribute to describe senility