eat; eradicate; destroy eat; eradicate; destroy; receive; stammer |
family; household; dwelling | really and truly; aim; clear really and truly; aim; clear; (possessive, modifying, or descriptive particle); of |
mouth | soft; flexible | to hold; to seize; to catch to hold; to seize; to catch; to apprehend; to take |
family; household; dwelling | really and truly; aim; clear really and truly; aim; clear; (possessive, modifying, or descriptive particle); of |
hand; convenient; ‑er | soft; flexible | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (吃人家的嘴軟，拿人家的手軟) | 吃 | 人家 | 的 | 嘴 | 軟 | ， | 拿 | 人家 | 的 | 手 | 軟 | |
| simp. (吃人家的嘴软，拿人家的手软) | 吃 | 人家 | 的 | 嘴 | 软 | ， | 拿 | 人家 | 的 | 手 | 软 | |
Literally, “the mouth that feeds from others is soft; the hand that takes from others is soft ”.
In other words: “When eating dinner given by others, one should have a soft mouth; when taking bribes, one should have a soft hand.”
吃人家的嘴軟，拿人家的手軟