📖 Meaning
Refers to being intermittently well and ill. It describes someone with a weak constitution or frail health who frequently suffers minor ailments.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Volume 34 of 'Slapping the Table in Amazement' (初刻拍案惊奇) by Ming dynasty writer Ling Mengchu. In the passage, a twelve-year-old girl is described as beautiful and clever, yet frail and sickly since childhood, frequently troubled by minor illnesses. The expression later appeared in Qing dynasty literature such as Xia Jingqu's 'The Old Man's Exposure' (野叟曝言), where it characterizes a person in persistently delicate health.
💡 Example Usage
文虚自奚囊落水，常是三好两歉，只可在家照看门户。
Ever since Wenxu fell into the water, he has been intermittently unwell and could only stay home to look after the household.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 三好两歉
- Pinyin: sān hǎo liǎng qiàn
- Literal Translation: three, well, two, unwell
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4