陈谷子烂芝麻

Origin and story

The saying likens stale, trivial talk to old grain and spoiled sesame. It occurs in chapter 45 of Honglou Meng, where a speaker interrupts this sort of talk to return to the serious business at hand. Ernü Yingxiong Zhuan also uses it to rebuke irrelevant interference. These are literary attestations of a colloquial saying, not a story about a particular farmer's spoiled harvest.

Its origin lies in an everyday household image rather than an identifiable classical episode. Today it dismisses old complaints, worn-out anecdotes, or minor matters that no longer deserve attention. The dismissive tone means it can sound impatient or hurtful when used about another person's concerns.