Chinese Language Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for students, teachers, and linguists wanting to discuss the finer points of the Chinese language. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
I'm curious as to how 索性 came to be translated as "you might as well (do it)"
索 apparently has English meanings of: large rope, cable; rules, laws; to demand, to exact; to search, inquire; isolated
:) You could translate 索性 as 'rope nature' :)
Which meaning of 索 is involved in 索性？
"might as well" is a subjunctive statement.
Is "might as well" an over-translation?
Where does 索性 come from?
Is 索性 actually a short version of something longer?
Here’s a highly unsatisfying answer.
《汉语大辞典》has a definition of 索 that defines it as:
索性；干脆。
And they give the example:
《警世通言·庄子休鼓盆成大道》
早知死後無情義, 索把生前恩愛勾。
《现代汉语大词典》also has an entry on 索 that defines it as:
干脆。如：索性；索兴。
Outlier gives the following meaning tree which maps out the development of word meanings and it seems to show that this meaning was originally of a different tone:
MEANINGS
Character meanings
suǒ1 (orig.) two hands holding a rope made of plant stalks and leaves
2 → rope3 ⇒ to search, follow a line
4 to ask, demand
suó
1 ⇒ strip, line
2 simply
It would seem that suó was later merged into suǒ.
