俎 zǔ
: a stand for food at sacrifice
俎 | まないた manaita
noun
: chopping board
俎 | そ so
noun
: altar of sacrifice
ショ sho
刀俎 dao1zu3: sacrificial knife and altar
Japanese common word | expression | idiom
俎板 | まないた manaita: chopping board
俎上 | そじょう sojou: on the chopping board
俎板の鯉 | まないたのこい manaita no koi
: confronted with a hopeless situation; about to be cut off (e.g. in a battle) and unable to do anything
Chinese common word | expression | chengyu 成語 | idiom
越俎代庖 yue4 zu3 dai4 pao2
: lit. to go beyond the sacrificial altar and take over the kitchen; fig. to exceed one’s place and meddle in other people’s affairs; to take matters into one’s own hands
折衝樽俎 [折冲樽俎] zhe2chong1 zun1 zu3
: lit. to stop the enemy at the banquet table; fig. to get the better of an enemy during diplomatic functions
樽俎折衝 | そんそせっしょう sonso sesshou
: (yoji) diplomatic negotiations at the dinner table; diplomatic bargaining
人為刀俎，我為魚肉 [人为刀俎，我为鱼肉] ren2 wei2 dao1 zu3 , wo3 wei2 yu2 rou4
: lit. to be the meat on sb’s chopping block; fig. to be at sb’s mercy
会意 Associative Compound.
Sacrificial stand 且 (qie3: moreover; also) with
meat 仌 (bing1: old variant of 冰).
形声 Pictophonetic.
仌 (bing1: old variant of 冰) suggests the meaning while
且 (qie3: moreover; also) provides both meaning and sound.
Historical variant:
爼 zu3: a small table or tiered stand filled with meat offerings
Examples:
你想加入哪一組？
ni1 xiang3 jia1ru4 na3 yi1 zu3?
Which group do you want to join?
Resources: Chinese Dictionary | Japanese Dictionary
