諺語 · a single proverb

脫tuō了le褲kù子zi放fàng屁pì——duō——多cǐ此yī一jǔ舉

Simplified: 脱了裤子放屁——多此一举

tuō le kù zi fàng pì——duō cǐ yī jǔ

What does 脫了褲子放屁——多此一舉 (tuō le kù zi fàng pì——duō cǐ yī jǔ) mean?

脫了褲子放屁——多此一舉 (tuō le kù zi fàng pì——duō cǐ yī jǔ) is a two-part riddle-saying (xiēhòuyǔ 歇後語). Word for word it reads "Taking off your pants to pass wind-an entirely unnecessary step." In use it means: Doing something completely superfluous and pointlessly complicated. A vulgar but vivid way to criticize over-engineering or redundant effort. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Pig.

Literally: "Taking off your pants to pass wind-an entirely unnecessary step.."

The reading

Complexity for its own sake is a trap disguised as thoroughness. The extra step adds nothing except the appearance of effort, and appearance is not the same as substance. Efficiency is not laziness; it is respect for time and purpose. Many processes survive not because they work but because no one has questioned them out loud. The simplest path that reaches the goal is almost always the right one.

What kind of proverb it is

Source Colloquial folk xiehouyu, widely used in everyday speech

Sits beside

偷梁換柱

tōu liáng huàn zhù

A secret substitution.

先入為主

xiān rù wéi zhǔ

First impressions dominate perception.

千里之堤，潰於蟻穴

qiān lǐ zhī dī kuì yú yǐ xué

Small problems ignored become catastrophic.

Keep reading

Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Pig, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.

Questions

Is 脫了褲子放屁——多此一舉 a real Chinese proverb?

Yes. 脫了褲子放屁——多此一舉 (tuō le kù zi fàng pì——duō cǐ yī jǔ) is a two-part riddle-saying (xiēhòuyǔ 歇後語), and it comes from Colloquial folk xiehouyu, widely used in everyday speech. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.

How do you pronounce 脫了褲子放屁——多此一舉?

In Mandarin it is tuō le kù zi fàng pì——duō cǐ yī jǔ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 脫了褲子放屁——多此一舉 aloud in Mandarin.