释“仗义疏财”

Explaining “仗义疏财” ("zhang yi shu cai")

成语“仗义疏财”的“疏”当“分散”讲还是当“轻视”讲，尚无定论。本文作者搜集材料观察的结果：“疏”当轻视讲，不当分散讲；“仗义疏财”是重义轻财的另一种说法而已。

As to the explanation of the character “疏” ('shu') in the Chinese set phrase “仗义疏 财” (meaning 'be generous in aiding needy people' in free translation), it is still an open question. Some people explain it as “分散” ('fen san', meaning 'scatter'), while others elucidate it as “轻 视” ('qing shi', meaing 'belittle'). According to a survey of the data available, the author has come to a conclusion that “疏” should be explained as “轻视” rather than “分散”: “仗义疏财” is simply a different version of the phrase “重义轻财” ('zhong yi qing cai', meaning in English 'belittle wealth in thinking highly of righteousness' ).