parently love

parently love

Licking the calf is a Chinese idiom. Its pinyin is sh ì D ú zh à I, which means that the cow licks the calf to show her love for it. It refers to the love for her children. It also means "licking the calf", "licking the calf's privacy" and "licking the calf's deep love". It comes from the biography of Yang Biao in the book of the later Han Dynasty.

Notes on Idioms

Lick: lick. Calf: calf.

The origin of Idioms

In the biography of Yang Biao in the book of the later Han Dynasty by Fan Ye in the Southern Dynasty, it is said that "you still cherish the love of an old ox licking a calf."

Idiom usage

As subject or object; used of parents to children. Every parent has a licking love. When I was young, I always felt that my parents had too much control and too strict demands on me. However, when I was a parent, I found that my parents' love for me was so deep and selfless.

Idiom story

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao attacked Liu Bei and stationed at JIEKOU of xiegu. He was in a dilemma. When Xia Houchun asked for the command at night, Cao Cao said nothing. Yang Xiu thought it was Cao Cao's intention to retreat. He told the soldiers to pack up. Cao Cao killed Yang Xiu on the pretext of killing him. After meeting Yang Biao, the skinny father of Yang Xiu, he asked why? Yang Biao said that he had the love of a calf.