大快朵颐
dà kuài duǒ yí
to eat heartily; to tuck in with relish
Character by character
大dà
great
great
快kuài
delight
delight
朵duǒ
move
move
颐yí
jaws
jaws
Example
周末我们去吃自助餐,大家大快朵颐,最后都吃得走不动了。
At the weekend we went to a buffet; everyone tucked in until they could hardly walk.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
朵颐 is the moving jaw of someone chewing, from the 《周易》. Lively written style, often a little playful: 让人大快朵颐, 大快朵颐一番. 朵 here has nothing to do with flowers.
Learn this in Lesson 11 · HSK 5: 过早:一天从早餐开始 (Breakfast, city by city)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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