# 抱大腿



## dojibear

I'm watching a TV drama in 普通话, and a misunderstanding happens about the phrase 抱大腿.

Background: Alien female lead 小七 only knows the same literal meaning as the English sub-titles (抱大腿 = "hug a leg"). Yesterday 小七 grabbed CEO 方冷's leg and held on to it, begging him to do something. That's it. She has no romantic relationship with him.

Now her boss 柴老板娘 is talking to 小七 about 方冷, and they have this conversation:

柴老板娘：叫方冷. 这个大腿，你要是抱住了, <you will soon have lots of money>
小七：我昨天已经抱过他大腿了
柴老板娘：你都已经抱过了
小七：嗯 (点头)
柴老板娘：我的妈呀! 你太有才了!

Clearly 抱大腿 has a different meaning to 柴老板娘, but what is it?


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## gonecar

抱大腿, literally "hug a leg", has a figurative meaning that is "to cling to someone who is powerful, influential or reliable or whatever, as 大腿 is the part of the human body, which is muscular and strong. 
抱大腿 is a Chinese idiom, quite colloquial, though.


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## SuperXW

gonecar said:


> 抱大腿 is a Chinese idiom, quite colloquial, though.


And quite new. I don't think the saying exists 30 years ago.


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## gonecar

SuperXW said:


> And quite new. I don't think the saying exists 30 years ago.


You are right, SuperXW. But I had no idea about that. I'd thought it was some old saying if it weren't for your point added.

抱大腿 词源 百度百科


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## dojibear

I don't understand. In English "cling to" is what the weak person does, not the powerful person. It doesn't imply any change in status for the weak person, in the perception of the powerful person. 


So why did 柴老板娘 think that 小七 would soon be rich?


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## dojibear

Well, not "be rich". She said the 120,000 RMB that 小七 owed her would be paid back soon.


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## gonecar

抱(住)大腿=有了靠山

(靠山: Literally, a mountain to back on; figuratively, a steady backer, a strong supporter)


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## gonecar

dojibear said:


> Well, not "be rich". She said the 120,000 RMB that 小七 owed her would be paid back soon.


If 小七 hugged a 大腿 (got a 靠山), he/she would be having a person who supported or aided his/her cause, business, enterprise, etc. That is why 老板娘 thought 小七 would be rich and able to pay that debt.


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## ovaltine888

dojibear said:


> I'm watching a TV drama in 普通话, and a misunderstanding happens about the phrase 抱大腿.
> 
> Background: Alien female lead 小七 only knows the same literal meaning as the English sub-titles (抱大腿 = "hug a leg"). Yesterday 小七 grabbed CEO 方冷's leg and held on to it, begging him to do something. That's it. She has no romantic relationship with him.
> 
> Now her boss 柴老板娘 is talking to 小七 about 方冷, and they have this conversation:
> 
> 柴老板娘：叫方冷. 这个大腿，你要是抱住了, <you will soon have lots of money>
> 小七：我昨天已经抱过他大腿了
> 柴老板娘：你都已经抱过了
> 小七：嗯 (点头)
> 柴老板娘：我的妈呀! 你太有才了!
> 
> Clearly 抱大腿 has a different meaning to 柴老板娘, but what is it?


I don't know much about the story but I guess it was alien 小七 who misunderstood what 柴老板娘 said.

I think 柴老板娘 refered to the most common meaning of 抱大腿
_"If you have 方冷 (a powerful man) at your back, you will easily make a fortune."_

Since 小七 was an alien, she might not really understand human languages well, so she took 抱大腿 literally and that is where her answer came from.

Then 柴老板娘 was surprised to hear that and she thought 小七 had an affair with 方冷 and that's why her response 我的妈呀! 你太有才了! has a note of sarcasm.


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## dojibear

谢谢。我现在明白了。


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## henter

抱大腿=sponge off or mooch off someone. You are implying that someone tries to butter up a high-wattage person in a bid to get favors from this person, such as finding a cushy job.

 One could also use it to describe a case in which  a sycophant wants to make a bundle on a deal that needs such bigwigs' approval.   To that end, he gives sops to the powers that be and get what he wants by dint of getting favors from them.

  If you say a  dishy girl wants to 抱大腿 in China, you are implying that she yearns to be a fat cat's mistress.


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## henter

我用中文再说一遍. 抱大腿在不同的语境中意思会有一点不同. 但是都是指试图通过巴结权贵人士捞好处. 如果说的是女生抱大腿， 很有可能暗指她是某个有权有势男人的小三. 商界人士也通过抱大腿赢得某个合同. 如果是这种，这里也有可能暗示商人通过送礼或者美女公关这种行为.


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## dojibear

这就是这个场景的意思。柴姐想小七昨天已经成为方冷的情妇 。方冷很女情的人有名。


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## SuperXW

dojibear said:


> 方冷很女情的人有名。


What did you mean by this?


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## dojibear

dojibear said:


> 方冷很女情的人有名。


I tried to say "Fang Leng had a reputation as a womanizer."

Specifically, he was famous for having dated (and then dumped) several women. He was a famous executive, so most of these woman wanted to 抱大腿 him. His family was rich, so most of those women hoped to marry him.

In secret, Fang Leng has a mental disorder: every time it rains, he forgets any woman he cares about. It all started when his mother died in an accident in a rainstorm. He was a kid, and was present when it happened, so he was traumatized...

Hey, it's a TV show -- no realism here! Just plot twists, misunderstandings and other silly nonsense.

Series title: "My Girlfriend is an Alien" 《外星女生柴小七》


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## thetazuo

dojibear said:


> "Fang Leng had a reputation as a womanizer."


Maybe "方冷是个（出了名的）海王".


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## SuperXW

dojibear said:


> 柴姐想小七昨天已经成为方冷的情妇 。方冷很女情的人有名。


Should be 柴姐*以为*小七昨天已经成为方冷的情妇 。
方冷很女情的人有名。doesn't make sense.


thetazuo said:


> Maybe "方冷是个（出了名的）海王".


Note that 海王 is also a new slang word coined in 2019, Mainland China.
In a traditional way:
众所周知，方冷很会玩弄女人 / 方冷玩过很多女人。
方冷是出了名的会玩女人。
etc.


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