📖 Meaning
Originally referred to being penalized to drink a large cup of wine for violating drinking-game rules. It now means to drink a full large cup of wine, often used to express celebration, joy, or hearty enjoyment.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from the Han dynasty work "Shuoyuan" (Garden of Persuasions) by Liu Xiang. It records that Marquis Wen of Wei (魏文侯) was drinking with his ministers and appointed Gongcheng Buren as the master of the drinking games. The rule stated that anyone who failed to drain their cup would be penalized with a large cup of wine, called a "dabai." Over the centuries, the phrase shifted from a punishment to a general expression for drinking a full cup, frequently used in celebratory contexts.
💡 Example Usage
听闻老友高中状元，我高兴得浮一大白。
Hearing that my old friend had placed first in the imperial examination, I was so overjoyed that I drank a full cup.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 浮一大白
- Pinyin: fú yī dà bái
- Literal Translation: float (penalize), one, large, white-cup
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4