Johnny nailed it--men used to swear "by their beards", as in "I won't let him have it, no, not by my beard!". And people who make up nursery rhymes made it cuter by saying "not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin".
Just means "no way".
Back in Bible times, having a beard was a sign of manhood, of adulthood. Swearing "by your beard" was a mighty oath, because it involved your entire manhood, your social status. Having your beard removed was a great humiliation, or a sign of grief and/or penitence, or a punishment.
Quote:
2 Samuel 10
3
the Ammonite nobles said to Hanun their lord, "Do you think David is honoring your father by sending men to you to express sympathy? Hasn't David sent them to you to explore the city and spy it out and overthrow it?"
4
So Hanun seized David's men, shaved off half of each man's beard, cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away.
5
When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, "Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back."
Quote:
Ezra 9
2
They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness."
3
When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled.
Quote:
Isaiah 7
19
They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices in the rocks, on all the thornbushes and at all the water holes.
20
In that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the River--the king of Assyria--to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to take off your beards also.
Quote:
Isaiah 15
1
An oracle concerning Moab: Ar in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! Kir in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night!
2
Dibon goes up to its temple, to its high places to weep; Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba. Every head is shaved and every beard cut off.
3
In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public squares they all wail, prostrate with weeping
Quote:
Isaiah 50
5
The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back.
6
I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.
Quote:
Jeremiah 41
4
The day after Gedaliah's assassination, before anyone knew about it,
5
eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, bringing grain offerings and incense with them to the house of the LORD.
Quote:
Jeremiah 48
36
"So my heart laments for Moab like a flute; it laments like a flute for the men of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone.
37
Every head is shaved and every beard cut off; every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth.
38
On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squares there is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants," declares the LORD.
So Jesus tells people not to swear by the hair on their heads (which I'm assuming includes their beards).
Quote:
Matthew 5
36
And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.
37
Simply let your `Yes' be `Yes,' and your `No,' `No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
源自圣经，古时胡子为男子气概的象征，发誓时说“以我的胡子发誓”（"by your beard"）是很郑重的誓言，胡子被挂掉是很大的羞辱（如中国古人有削发的刑罚，好像持续到现在吧.）chiny chin chin 是为儿童韵律的考虑。
以下圣经中的例子：
So Hanun seized David's men, shaved off half of each man's beard, cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away.
When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, "Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back."
When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled.
