田雞

Etymology

Frogs are called “chicken of the field” due to the similarity in taste, per Compendium of Materia Medica [1578 CE]:

南人食之，呼為田雞，云肉味如雞也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.][▼ expand/hide]
南人食之，呼为田鸡，云肉味如鸡也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Compendium of Materia Medica [Bencao Gangmu], by Li Shizhen, 1578 CE

Nánrén shí zhī, hū wéi tiánjī, yún ròuwèi rú jī yě. [Pinyin]

The Southerners had them as food, found their meat to be similar to chicken, and therefore called them “field chicken”.

Compare Vietnamese gà đồng (literally “field chicken”).

Pronunciation

Noun

田雞

1. frog (amphibian); more specifically the Chinese edible frog (Hoplobatrachus rugulosus) (Classifier: 隻／只)
   • 田雞屬於高蛋白、低脂肪的食材，適合動脈硬化、心血管疾病患者，和體質虛弱者補充營養。 [MSC, trad.]
     田鸡属于高蛋白、低脂肪的食材，适合动脉硬化、心血管疾病患者，和体质虚弱者补充营养。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 2015, 陳彥甫, 肉類營養密碼, page 247

     Tiánjī shǔyú gāo dànbái, dī zhīfáng de shícái, shìhé dòngmài yìnghuà, xīnxuèguǎn jíbìng huànzhě, hé tǐzhì xūruò zhě bǔchōng yíngyǎng. [Pinyin]

     Frog is a type of high-protein and low-fat food, suitable for patients of arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, as well as people who are physically weak, to replenish their nutrients.
2. (figuratively, colloquial, humorous or pejorative) Short for 四眼田雞／四眼田鸡 (sìyǎn tiánjī, “bespectacled person, four-eyes”).
   • 而我，田雞一隻，有目無珠，不戴眼鏡，咫尺之隔，不分男容女貌，眼前是男是女，穿多穿少，幾無區別。 [MSC, trad.]
     而我，田鸡一只，有目无珠，不戴眼镜，咫尺之隔，不分男容女貌，眼前是男是女，穿多穿少，几无区别。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 2005, 王之 (Chih Wang), 五十肩和泡澡堂, in 東鱗西爪 (Patches of Light Clouds), page 44

     Ér wǒ, tiánjī yī zhī, yǒumùwúzhū, bù dài yǎnjìng, zhǐchǐ zhī gé, bùfēn nán róng nǚ mào, yǎnqián shì nán shì nǚ, chuān duō chuān shǎo, jī wú qūbié. [Pinyin]

     But as for me, a “frog” who has eyes without pupils, if I don't wear glasses, even if it's the nearest distance, I can't distinguish between the face of a man and that of a woman; whether it's a man or a woman in front of me, whether they are wearing a lot or a little, there's almost no difference.