As a person learning chinese, I was curious on how the saying 炒魷魚 originated? From first observation, the meaning appeared to me as ‘Stir-frying fish’ but then I was told it meant ‘Getting fired/or sacked’.The dictionary confirmed this was the ‘true’ meaning.How can something that appears to be ‘cooking fish’ at first glance mean ‘getting fired’? Can someone explain how this saying came about? :s
It is very interesting to find some questions that native Chinese or Taiwanese speakers take for granted.
There is a webpage offering an explaination.
http://www.pep.com.cn/200406/ca520349.htm
It says when people stir-fry squid, the pieces of squid get rolled up, and those pieces look like the packs that the people who get fired pack up.