Bùgān-bùjìng; chīle méi bìng.

不乾不凈, 吃了沒病。

Lit [Even if the food is] not clean, [if one] eats it, one won't get sick.

Note [A rhyme popularly said by common people to excuse unsanitary conditions or as a charm to ward off disease, something like “A little dirt is good for your system” or “Everyone must eat a pound of dirt before they die”; cf. Lao She's play: Lóng Xū Gōu, (“Dragon Beard Ditch”), Act 1; see also chī de lāta and yǎn bùjiàn wéi jìng below.]

Topics FOOD HEALTH Lao She Lóng Xū Gōu rhyme SANITATION