Xiabai or Lu Ban Pillow [Photo/Qianlong]
老北京一句著名歇后语：猴儿拿虱子——瞎掰！形容漫无目的乱翻乱找。生活中凡是认为没有任何意义，或者多此一举，或者劳而无功的事情，都可以说成“瞎掰！”
There is a famous slang in Beijing dialect that “Monkeys’ finding lice equals Xiabai” which means finding something in chaos. Beijingers usually say “Xiabai” when they do unnecessary or useless things in their daily life.
例句：孩子每天下学自己回家，可是今天奶奶却要去接孩子回家，别人就说：“孩子大了自己会回来，您去接他真是瞎掰！”
eg: The grandson goes home after class by himself every day, but today the grandma sticks to pick him up. Then the others may say “it is Xiabai to pick up your grandson because he has grown up and can go home on his own”.
北京话“瞎掰（发音：xiā bāi）”这个词，是指没有根据乱说话或是做徒劳无益的事。其实在老年间，的确存在“瞎掰”这么一种东西。它是民间的一种可折叠的木制生活用品，古时候老百姓出门时打开可以当板凳坐，休息时可以当枕头用。
In Beijing dialect, “Xiabai” means doing useless things or talking nonsense. Actually, there is an object also called “Xiabai” in ancient times. It is a foldable wooden item for daily use, which can be unfold to be a bench for sit and folded to be a pillow for sleep.
据说这物件是2600多年前鲁班大师发明的，所以又叫“鲁班枕”。传说鲁班年轻时什么活都会干，无人能比。玉皇大帝便派出“特使”长有四只慧眼的仓颉来探虚实。仓颉找到鲁班说：“听说你能耐了得，倘若你在三天内将我比划的动作制成一个东西，我就服你。”说着，他两手手指交叉，左右来回抽动了几下，随后就化作一缕青烟。鲁班左思右想，琢磨仙人的手势。他也的确能耐，三天内还真做出了个物件，如约交给仓颉。仓颉一看服气了，还给这物件取了个名字—“我看你做时很费事，翻过来掉过去掰来掰去的，就叫‘瞎掰’吧。从今以后，你就是天下石木瓦匠的祖师。”自此，人间就有了“瞎掰”，又称“鲁班枕”。
This popular household item is also known as “Lu Ban Pillow” for it is said to be invented by Lu Ban 2,600 years ago. According to a folk tale, Lu Ban was equaled by no one in carpentry and he could make anything. Therefore, Jade Emperor sent Cang Jie, a “special envoy” with four eyes, to explore the actual situation. Cang Jie said to Lu Ban, “I heard that you are capable of making anything. I will believe it if you can make an item out of my gestures in three days.” Then he crossed the fingers of the two hands and twitched back and forth for several times. Lu Ban thought a lot about the gestures and really made an item within three days. Cang Jie received the item and named it as “Xiabai”. “I saw you made great efforts to make it which had been broken back and forth, so let’s call it “Xiabai” and from now on you are the founder of civil craftsmen,” he said. Since then, “Xiabai”, also known as “Lu Ban Pillow”, was born.
“瞎掰”制作工艺复杂，制作难度也大，要选用无疤、无虫眼，无疤瘌优质和硬质木料作为原料，在制作过程中，需要锯、磨、钻、抠、磨、抛光、着色、打蜡、包装等几十道工序才能完成，几乎囊括了木匠活所有的手艺。古时木匠学徒只有会做“瞎掰”才能出师，靠口传心记流传，现如今，民间会做“瞎掰”的人越来越少。
Making a “Xiabai” needs the complex and difficult craftsmanship. High-quality and hard wood with no scars is the raw materials and dozens of procedures are indispensable including sawing, grinding, drilling, grinding, polishing, coloring, waxing, and packaging, which cover almost all of a carpenter’s crafts. In ancient times, an apprentice carpenter finishes his apprenticeship only when he can make a “Xiabai”. In history the craftsmanship of making a “Xiabai” has been inherited by words, so at present fewer and fewer people know how to make it.
Source: english.qianlong.com