擢髮難數

Chinese

		pull out; select	hair	disaster; distress; to scold disaster; distress; to scold; difficult (to...); problem; difficulty; difficult; not good	number; figure; to count number; figure; to count; to calculate; several; frequently; repeatedly
trad. (擢髮難數)		擢	髮	難	數
simp. (擢发难数)		擢	发	难	数
Literally: “so many that one cannot finish counting even with all strands of hair pulled out”.

Etymology

From Records of the Grand Historian:

（須賈）曰：「擢賈之髮以續賈之罪，尚未足。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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（须贾）曰：「擢贾之发以续贾之罪，尚未足。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

(Xū Jiǎ) yuē: “Zhuó gǔ zhī fà yǐ xù gǔ zhī zuì, shàng wèi zú.” [Pinyin]

Xu Jia said: “I have committed so many sins that it even if you pull away all my hair for counting them would not be enough.”

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zhuófànánshǔ, zhuófǎnánshǔ

  (Zhuyin): ㄓㄨㄛˊ ㄈㄚˋ ㄋㄢˊ ㄕㄨˇ, ㄓㄨㄛˊ ㄈㄚˇ ㄋㄢˊ ㄕㄨˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zok⁶ faat³ naan⁴ sou²

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zhuófànánshǔ
    • Zhuyin: ㄓㄨㄛˊ ㄈㄚˋ ㄋㄢˊ ㄕㄨˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jhuófànánshǔ
    • Wade–Giles: cho²-fa⁴-nan²-shu³
    • Yale: jwó-fà-nán-shǔ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jwofahnanshuu
    • Palladius: чжофананьшу (čžofananʹšu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ³⁵ fä⁵¹ nän³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zhuófǎnánshǔ
    • Zhuyin: ㄓㄨㄛˊ ㄈㄚˇ ㄋㄢˊ ㄕㄨˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jhuófǎnánshǔ
    • Wade–Giles: cho²-fa³-nan²-shu³
    • Yale: jwó-fǎ-nán-shǔ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jwofaananshuu
    • Palladius: чжофананьшу (čžofananʹšu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ³⁵ fä²¹⁴⁻²¹ nän³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zok⁶ faat³ naan⁴ sou²
    • Yale: johk faat nàahn sóu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzok⁹ faat⁸ naan⁴ sou²
    • Guangdong Romanization: zog⁶ fad³ nan⁴ sou²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɔːk̚² faːt̚³ naːn²¹ sou̯³⁵/

Idiom

擢髮難數

1. (of crimes) innumerable

Synonyms

• 罄竹難書／罄竹难书 (qìngzhúnánshū)