Eric Chengyang
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Fen-tao 分桃

6/14/2019

 

lit.the divided peach | euphemism: homosexuality

"... Mizi Xia and the Duke Ling of Wei was visiting a peach farm. When Mizi found a tasty peach, he took a few bites; then, he gave the remainder to the Duke. The Duke was touched by the gesture and said, “you really adore me! You are sharing the peach with me because you realize it is so delicious.”
​
Some time later, the Duke’s attraction toward Mizi had diminished. One day, when Mizi offended the Duke, the Duke responded, “this person has offended me several times. For example, he had used the royal chaise by forging my name and permission. Furthermore, he once offered me a leftover peach because he no longer wanted it.”
--
Segment translated by me, taken from Shui Nan by Han, Feizi
  • Fen-tao (分桃), or "the divided peach," is one of the historic euphemisms for (male) homosexuality used in Chinese history.
  • The term originated from Shui Nan (《韓非子·說難》; “the Difficulties of Persuasion”), an essay written by Han, Feizi (aka. Han, Fei) in the 3rd century BCE.​

    The Glossary

    Contains definitions, stories, and context of the cultural elements presented in my works.
    ​

    List of Terms

    All
    Acorn Sign
    Arcade
    Baoxiang Flower 寳相花
    Chinese 中文
    Dao Duanxiu
    Dao Fen-tao
    Dao 道
    Duan-xiu 斷袖
    Ephemera
    Fen-tao 分桃
    Hua Yang Nian Hua 花樣年華
    Jia-jie 假借
    Tong-zhi 同志
    Yi-zhu-xiang 一炷香

© Eric Chengyang 2024
  • Multi-Media | 多元媒介
    • Flora, Luna-Corona 团花•月華 (2024) >
      • Digital Garden: Flora, Luna-Corona 团花·月華
    • Dao: Duan-Xiu 道·断袖 (2024)
    • Dao: Fen-Tao 道·分桃 (2019)
    • Dawat Yan Banquet (Web-based, 2022)
  • CRYG | 人物·衣冠
  • About | 简介