Were you „hooed“ as a child? Or are you perhaps „hening“ your own offspring right now? If you are now standing like a chicken in front of a mountain in terms of understanding, don’t worry! You are no different than most Chinese who hear the term 鸡娃 jīwá – literally „to hen children “ – for the first time. But a reference to the word’s origin quickly makes it clear to native speakers what is meant: the „chicken“ here is borrowed from the well-known Chinese idiom 打鸡血dǎ jīxiě, literally „to inject oneself with chicken blood“ or to have it injected. This „winged word“ stands as a synonym for „being psyched/excited“ or „pushing/firing up“ oneself or others. It is said to go back to the – of course long since discarded – old folk superstition that by injecting oneself with chicken blood, one can inject into one’s bloodstream the verve of a startled chicken. Of course, this is nonsense. But the saying has nevertheless persisted to this day.