Basic Information
Chinese name: wipe oil
Pronunciation: kāi yóu
metaphor: Taking advantage of others or the public
Also: to wipe oil
Ancient use: the frivolous behavior of men towards women in Fengyue
Paraphrase
metaphor to take advantage of others or the public. Also used as a wiper.
source
It is said that there was once a wealthy man in Huizhou, who was rich and stingy. He was "Gelangtai of Anhui". He was very good at saving face. He obviously ate green vegetables and tofu without oil and water every day, but every time he wiped a little lard on the corner of his mouth after every meal, the oil was shining brightly. Tell people at the gate: "My family eats pork lard stewed with sauce today." this is the grandfather who wiped the oil.
Oil is a very sticky thing. When oil comes into contact with others, it is always wiped off by others. Lu Xun once described the Shanghai dialect "wiping oil" as follows: "A tar barrel full of oil will inevitably seep oil. To start a fire with a piece of oil paper, you only need to wipe the tar barrel with ordinary paper twice, and no matter you weigh it with the naked eye or with a scale, the oil in the oil barrel will not decrease in the slightest." The earliest "wiping oil" was mostly Fengyue The frivolous behavior of men towards women.
In "Quasi Fengyue Tan", Lu Xun also satirized the social phenomenon of "wiping oil":
"It's not 'takebacks' or 'commissions', because it's a secret; but it's not stealing, because in principle, it's really very little. So it can't be said to be 'fat'; at best, Or it can be called 'fraud'. However, this is an upright 'fraud', because what is taken is from wealthy families, rich people, wealthy people, and foreign businessmen, and what is taken is only a little bit, just like from the oily water. If you wipe the place, it will not harm people, but it is beneficial to the wiper, and it is also the right way to harm the rich and help the poor. Try to make fun of women, or take the opportunity to touch, also called 'wiping', although it is not as good as money. The name is justified, but there is no great harm to the person being wiped out."
Lu Xun explained here that 'wiping oil' is not only a secret action, but also an open-minded and irrelevant theft. The frivolous behavior of men eating women's tofu is also 'wiping oil'. Women are objectified, like goods and money. Discrimination and disrespect for women. Later, "wiping oil" refers to all acts of taking advantage of petty interests.
