| Change log entry 57943 | |
|---|---|
| Processed by: | richwarm (2015-06-30 12:48:24 UTC) |
| Comment: |
<< review queue entry 55366 - submitted by 'richwarm' >> In English, this figurative sense of "toothless" applies to - a piece of legislation, or - an official entity that lacks a means of enforcement. A more apt single-word gloss than "powerless" would be "ineffectual". The earliest citation for this usage in the OED is 1961, so it may well date from the middle of the 20th century. As for the *Chinese* word, when it is used figuratively, does it also apply to the same things (e.g. legislation)? If so, do we really need this entry? Alternatively, would it perhaps be clearer to make the definition "toothless (lit. and fig.)"? If, on the other hand, 无牙 means "powerless" in a wider sense, can we have a look at some examples of usage? So far, I haven't found 无牙 in any other dictionary. Editor: Yves, let me know if this differs at all from what you were suggesting. |
| Diff: |
- 無牙 无牙 [wu2 ya2] /toothless/fig. powerless/ # + 無牙 无牙 [wu2 ya2] /toothless/fig. powerless/ + 無牙 无牙 [wu2 ya2] /toothless/(fig.) powerless/ineffectual/weak/ - 無爪 无爪 [wu2 zhua3] /without claws/fig. powerless/ |