“举家食粥酒长赊”新解

Re-interpretation of "the whole Family has Congee but Frequently Drinks on Credit"

敦诚诗《赠曹雪芹》有“举家食粥酒常赊”句,其中的“赊”字,一向解释为赊欠,买酒付不出现钱,欠下酒债。本文以“赊”字在古人诗词中的用法,对流行的解释提出异议。

In Dun Cheng＇s poem To Cao Xueqin, there is a sentence, namely “the whole family has congee but frequently drinks on credit”. The phrase “on credit” has been interpreted as to buy drink on trust and thus to be in drink debt. This article examines what “on credit” meant in ancient Chinese literary works and raises objection to that popular interpretation.