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Catch Phrase| 食白果(shíbáiguǒ)

Writer:   | Editor: Stephanie Yang  | From:  | Updated: 2017-05-08

Meaning:

“食” here means to “eat,” and “白果” refers to “ginkgo nuts.” This term is from Cantonese, where people use “食” instead of “吃” as a verb. Many colloquial sayings in Guangdong are related to food, and this is just an example. This term, literally meaning to “eat ginkgo nuts,” is in fact a metaphor for “doing something in vain,” perhaps because there is the character “白” in the name of the food. In addition to its basic meaning of “white,” “白” also means “empty, blank,” which is further used to describe situations where nothing is achieved. As a result, Cantonese people will never eat a “ginkgo nuts and bean curd stick soup,” a popular dessert, before they are going to take an exam or interview.

Example:

A: 听说小李不打算读大学了?

Tīngshuō xiǎolǐ bù dǎsuàn dú dàxué le?

Is Xiao Li not going to apply to any universities?

B: 是啊,他老爸天天送他去补习,忙了两年,还是食白果了。

Shì a, tā lǎobà tiāntiān sòng tā qù bǔxí, máng le liǎngnián, háishì shíbáiguǒ le。

Yeah. His old man sent him to tutors every day for the past two years, and those efforts are all lost.

(First editor: Debra Li)