Tag: Chinese Idiom

Chinese idioms: 舌战群儒shézhàn-qúnrú

Dōnɡhàn mònián de Shǔguó,yǒu yí wèi zhùmínɡ de móu chén –Zhūɡě Liànɡ ( Zh ū g ě Li à ng ),tā de zhìhuì hé cáinénɡ hěn chūzhònɡ,hěn duō ɡuānyú tā de ɡùshi liúchuán zhìjīn,“ Shézhàn-qúnrú ” jiùshì qízhōnɡ zhīyī .
东汉末年的蜀国,有一位著名的谋臣——诸葛亮(Zhūgě Liàng),他的智慧和才能很出众,很多关于他的故事流传至今,“舌战群儒”就是其中之一。In the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a famous advisor in the state of Shu—Zhuge Liang. His wisdom and talent were outstanding and many stories about him have been carried on down to our day. One of them is called “a heated argument with a group of learned men”.
Gōnɡyuán 208 nián , Cáo Cāo ( C á o C ā o ) dàilǐnɡ jūnduì zhǔnbèi ɡōnɡdǎ Shǔɡuó Liú Bèi , qínɡkuànɡ shífēn wēijí . Liú Bèi ( Li ú B è i ) xiǎnɡ , rúɡuǒ nénɡ hé Dōnɡwú de Sūn Quán ( S ū n Qu á n ) liánhé qǐlái , yídìnɡ kéyǐ ɡǎibiàn xínɡshì . Yúshì tā mǎshànɡ pài Zhū- ɡě Liànɡ qù jiàn Sūn Quán , xīwànɡ shuōfú tā ɡònɡtónɡ duìfu Cáo Cāo . Ránér miànduì qiánɡdà de Cáo Cāo , Sūn Quán shǒuxià de hěnduō dàchén dōu fēichánɡ hàipà , zhǔzhānɡ tóuxiánɡ . Dānɡ tāmen kàndào Zhūɡě Liànɡ lái zhǎo Sūn Quán shí , fēnfēn zǒu shànɡqián qù xiànɡ tā fānàn , xiǎnɡ shǐ tā zhīnán-értuì . Miànduì zhònɡrén de diāonàn , Zhūɡě Liànɡ bìnɡ bù jǐnzhānɡ , fǎnér cōnɡrónɡ-búpò , duìdá-rúliú , yíxiàzǐ jiù bǎ dàchénmen shuō dé yǎkǒuwúyán . Zuìzhōnɡ , Zhūɡě Liànɡ yònɡ tā de zhìhuì hé kǒucái dǎdònɡ le Sūn Quán , ɡònɡtónɡ kànɡ cáo , shǐ zhànzhēnɡ de xínɡshì dédào le ɡǎibiàn .
公元208年,曹操(Cáo Cāo)带领军队准备攻打蜀国刘备,情况十分危急。刘备(Liú Bèi)想,如果能和东吴的孙权(Sūn Quán)联合起来,一定可以改变形势。于是他马上派诸葛亮去见孙权,希望说服他共同对付曹操。然而面对强大的曹操,孙权手下的很多大臣都非常害怕,主张投降。当他们看到诸葛亮来找孙权时,纷纷走上前去向他发难,想使他知难而退。面对众人的刁难,诸葛亮并不紧张,反而从容不迫,对答如流,一下子就把大臣们说得哑口无言。最终,诸葛亮用他的智慧和口才打动了孙权,共同抗曹,使战争的形势得到了改变。In 208 A.D., Cao Cao led his army, and prepared for an attack on Liu Bei of Shu. It was very critical. Liu Bei thought if he could join up with Sun Quan of Eastern Wu, the situation would certainly change for the better. Consequently he assigned Zhuge Liang to meet Sun Quan immediately, in the hope of persuading him to resist Cao Cao with Liu Bei. However, many ministers of Sun Quan who feared the strength of strong Cao Cao, proposed to surrender. When they saw Zhuge Liang come to Sun Quan, they one after another beseeched him with difficult questions in order to persuade him to back down.. In the face of these difficulties, Zhuge Liang was not nervous. He was calm and answered fluently, which left the ministers speechless. In the end, Sun Quan was moved by Zhuge Liang’s wisdom and eloquence. They resisted Cao together which changed the situation of the war.
Words:
东汉dōnghàn:(PN.)the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220)
谋臣móu chén:(n.)adviser
流传liúchuán:(v.)spread; circulate; hand down
舌战shé zhàn:(v.)have a verbal battle with; argue heatedly
儒rú:(n.)Confucian; scholar
联合liánhé:(v.)unite; ally
形势xíngshì:(n.)situation
说服shuìfú:(v.)persuade; convince
主张zhǔzhāng:(v.)propose; to insist on (or upon)
投降tóuxiáng:(v.)surrender
发难fānàn:(v.)heckle; make troubles
刁难diāonàn:(v.)purposely make difficulties for sb.
从容不迫cóng róng bù pò:(idiom.)take it leisurely and with out oppressiveness; calm and unhurried
对答如流duì dá rú liú:(idiom.)answer fluently
哑口无言yǎ kǒu wú yán:(idiom.)be rendered speechless
口才kǒucái:(n.)eloquence
Meanings:
“舌战群儒”是指一个人跟很多人辩论,并取得最后的胜利。“舌战群儒”means one person argues with many people and gains victory in the end.
Sentences:
1.Zài biànlùn huìshànɡ , tā shézhàn-qúnrú , yínɡdé liǎo dàjiā de zhǎnɡshēnɡ .
在辩论会上,他舌战群儒,赢得了大家的掌声。In the debate meeting, he argued heatedly with others and won people’s applause.
2 .Miànduì jìzhě de diāonàn , tā shézhàn-qúnrú , suóyǒu wèntí huídá dé dōu hěn hǎo .
面对记者的刁难,她舌战群儒,所有问题回答得都很好。In the face of difficulties caused by reporters, she defended her argument and answered all the questions very well.  

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Chinese idioms: 投鼠忌器Tóu Shǔ Jì Qì

Gǔshíhou, yǒu yīɡè fùrén, hěn xǐhuɑn ɡúdǒnɡ bìnɡqiě shōucánɡle hěnduō. Qízhōnɡ yǒu yījiàn yùyú, zuòɡōnɡ jīnɡzhàn, jiàzhí-bùfēi, shēnshòu zhèɡe fùrén de xǐài.
古时候,有一个富人,很喜欢古董并且收藏了很多。其中有一件玉盂,做工精湛,价值不菲,深受这个富人的喜爱。In ancient times, there was a rich man who liked antiques and had collected many. Among his collection was an exquisite jade vase, and was highly treasured by him.
Yītiān wǎnshɑnɡ, yīzhī láoshǔ tiào jìnle yùyú, xiǎnɡyào chī lǐmiàn de shíwù, zhènɡqiǎo bèi fùrén kàndào le. Tā fēichánɡ shēnɡqì, shènɡnù zhīxià, tā nále kuài shítou zá xiànɡ láoshǔ. Dānɡrán, láoshǔ shì bèi zásǐle, kěshì nàɡè zhēnɡuì xīyǒu de yùyú yě bèi dǎpò le. Fùrén fēichánɡ nánɡuò, tā hěn hòuhuǐ zìjǐ de lúmǎnɡ dàilái zhème dà de sǔnshī, wèile chúdiào yīzhī láoshǔ ér huǐhuài zhēnɡuì de bǎowù, bìnɡ ɡàojiè zìjǐ zuòshì bùnénɡ lúmǎnɡ, yào kǎolǜ hòuɡuǒ.
一天晚上,一只老鼠跳进了玉盂,想要吃里面的食物,正巧被富人看到了。他非常生气,盛怒之下,他拿了块石头砸向老鼠。当然,老鼠是被砸死了,可是那个珍贵稀有的玉盂也被打破了。富人非常难过,他很后悔自己的鲁莽带来这么大的损失,,为了除掉一只老鼠而毁坏珍贵的宝物,并告诫自己做事不能鲁莽,要考虑后果。One night, a mouse jumped into the vase, seeking to find food therein. It just so happened that the rich man saw it. He became so angry that, in the heat of rage, he threw a stone at the mouse. Of course, the mouse was crushed, but the precious vase was broken too. The rich man was very sad and regretted that his recklessness had ended in such a huge loss. A precious treasure was destroyed for the purpose of killing a mouse. He exhorted himself not to be reckless, and to think about the results of his actions.

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Chinese idioms: 南辕北辙nán yuán běi zhé

Cónɡ qián yǒu yíɡè rén, cónɡ Wèiɡuó dào Chǔɡuó qù. Tā dàishànɡ hěnduō de pánchán , ɡùle shànɡhǎo de chē, jiàshànɡ jùnmǎ, qǐnɡle jiàchē jìshù jīnɡzhàn de chēfū, jiù shànɡlù le. Chǔɡuó zài Wèiɡuó de nánmiàn, kě zhèɡe rén búwèn qīnɡhónɡ zàobái rànɡ jiàchē rén ɡǎnzhe mǎchē yìzhí xiànɡběi zǒu qù.  
从前有一个人,从魏国到楚国去。他带上很多的盘缠,雇了上好的车,驾上骏马,请了驾车技术精湛的车夫,就上路了。楚国在魏国的南面,可这个人不问青红皂白让驾车人赶着马车一直向北走去。Once upon a time there was a man from wei to chu. He take a lot of cash, hired a good car, riding on horses, please the driving skilled driver, just hit the road. Chu in the south of the wei, apple can this person don't ask, don't let the driver to drive the carriage has been toward the north.
Lù shɑnɡ yǒurén wèn tā de chē shì yào wǎnɡ nǎér qù, tā dàshēnɡ huí dá shuō : “ qù Chǔɡuó ! ” lùrén ɡàosu tā shuō : “ dào Chǔɡuó qù yīnɡ wǎnɡ nánfānɡ zǒu, nǐ zhèshì zài wǎnɡ běi zǒu, fānɡxiànɡ bú duì. ” nàrén mǎnbú zài hu dì shuō : “ méi ɡuān xi , wǒ de mǎ kuàizhene ! ” lùrén tì tā zháojí, lāzhù tā de m, zǔzhǐ tā shuō : “ fānɡxiànɡ cuò le , nǐ de mǎ zài kuài, yě dàobùliǎo Chǔɡuó yɑ ! ” nàrén yīrán háobù xǐnɡwù dì shuō:“ bù dǎjǐn, wǒ dài de lùfèi duō zhe ne ! ” lùrén jílì quàn zǔ tā shuō: “ suī shuō nǐ lùfèi duō , kěshì nǐ zǒu de búshì nà ɡè fānɡxiànɡ, nǐ lùfèi duō yě zhǐ nénɡ báihuā yɑ ! ” nàɡè yìxīn zhǐ xiǎnɡzhe yào dào Chǔɡuó qù de rén yǒuxiē bú nàifán dì shuō : “ zhè yǒu shénme nán de, wǒ de chēfū ɡǎn chē de bénlǐnɡ ɡāo zhāo ne ! ” lùrén wúnài , zhí hǎo sōnɡkāile lāzhù chēbǎzi de shǒu, yǎn zhēnɡ zhēnɡ kàn zhe nà ɡè mánɡ mù shànɡ lù de wèi rén zǒu le.
路上有人问他的车是要往哪儿去,他大声回答说:“去楚国!”路人告诉他说:“到楚国去应往南方走,你这是在往北走,方向不对。”那人满不在乎地说:“没关系,我的马快着呢!”路人替他着急,拉住他的马,阻止他说:“方向错了,你的马再快,也到不了楚国呀!”那人依然毫不醒悟地说:“不打紧,我带的路费多着呢!”路人极力劝阻他说:“虽说你路费多,可是你走的不是那个方向,你路费多也只能白花呀!”那个一心只想着要到楚国去的人有些不耐烦地说:“这有什么难的,我的车夫赶车的本领高着呢!”路人无奈,只好松开了拉住车把子的手,眼睁睁看着那个盲目上路的魏人走了。Someone asked his car to go to where go to, he loudly answer say: "go to Chu!" Stranger told him: "to the southern chu to should go, you this is in the north, the direction is wrong." The man casually said: "it doesn't matter, my horse!" People worried about him, hold his horse, stop him said: "the direction is wrong, your horse go faster, is to don't chu ah!" The man still did not wake up ground to say: "it doesn't matter, I take a lot of travel!" Stranger tried to dissuade him said: "although you more than money, but you don't go in that direction, you money will only more white!" The thought only to go to chu man some impatiently say: "this have what difficult of, my driver and driving skills high!" Passers-by helpless, have to hold off car traverse to the child's hand, watching the blind road wei had gone.

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Chinese idioms: 世外桃源(Shìwài Táoyuán)

世外桃源 Shìwài Táoyuán
Táoyuānmíng shì Dōngjìn shíqī de shīrén, shàncháng miáoxiě tiányuán fēngguāng. Tā xiě guò yì piān sǎnwén《Táohuā Yuán Jì》, lǐmiàn shuō yǒu gè yúfū, zài bǔyú de shíhòu mí le lù. Tā yánzhe yì tiáo xiǎoxī, yì zhí xiàng qián huá. Bú zhīdào chuán zǒu le duō yuǎn, tūrán qiánmiàn chūxiàn yí piàn táohuālín, fēicháng piàoliàng. Yúfū dào le táolín jìntóu, kànjiàn yí zuò xiǎoshān.
陶渊明是东晋时期的诗人,擅长描写田园风光。他写过一篇散文《桃花源记》,里面说有个渔夫,在捕鱼的时候迷了路。他沿着一条小溪,一直向前划。不知道船走了多远,突然前面出现一片桃花林,非常漂亮。渔夫到了桃林尽头,看见一座小山。Tao Yuanming was a poet of the Eastern Jin Dynasty who was an expert in describing landscape scenes. He once wrote a prose called The Peach Garden which describes a fisherman getting lost while fishing. In the prose, the fisherman rows along a stream. Not realizing how far he rows, he suddenly comes across a beautiful forest of peach trees. Upon reaching the end of the forest, the fisherman sees a hill.
Tā shàng‘àn chuān guò xiǎoshān, cóng yí gè dòngkǒu chūlái hòu, fāxiàn shān nàbiān yǒu yí gè cūnzhuāng. zhèlǐ tǔdì féiwò, fángwū zhěngqí, rénmen zìyóu xìngfú de shēnghuó zhe. Tā de dàolái jīngdòng le cūn lǐ de rén, tāmen dōu lái kànwàng tā, hái qǐng tā qù jiālǐ zuòkè, zuò hěn fēngshèng de fàncài zhāodài tā.
他上岸穿过小山,从一个洞口出来后,发现山那边有一个村庄。这里土地肥沃,房屋整齐,人们自由幸福地生活着。他的到来惊动了村里的人,他们都来看望他,还请他去家里做客,做很丰盛的饭菜招待他。He goes ashore and climbs over the hill. When he comes out from a cave, he finds a village on the other side of the hill. The land is fertile and the houses are tidy . People live happily and freely. His arrival alarms the villagers and they all come out to see him, but they invite him into their homes and treat him to delicious food.
Yúfū dézhī, zhèxiē rén de zǔxiān zài Qíncháo mònián (jù dāngshí yǒu 400 duō nián) bì’nàn táo dào zhè gè dìfāng, hòurén yě yì zhí shēnghuó zài zhègè yǔshìgéjué de dìfāng, tāmen yě bùzhīdào xiànzài shì shénme cháodài le.
渔夫得知,这些人的祖先在秦朝末年(距当时有400多年)避难逃到这个地方,后人也一直生活在这个与世隔绝的地方,他们也不知道现在是什么朝代了。The fisherman learns that the ancestors of these men had taken refuge in this place at the end of the Qin Dynasty (more than 400 years before). The offspring had continued to live in this isolated place, not even knowing what the current dynasty is.
Yúfū zhù le jǐ tiān, jiù líkāi nàlǐ huíjiā le. Tā zài huílái de lùshàng zuò le yì xiē biāojì. Huílái hòu jiù bǎ zhè jiàn shì gàosù le dāngdì de guānyuán. Guānyuán pài rén gēn tā yì qǐ qù zhǎo nàgè cūnzhuāng, kěshì zài yě méiyǒu zhǎodào guò.
渔夫住了几天,就离开那里回家了。他在回来的路上做了一些标记。回来后就把这件事告诉了当地的官员。官员派人跟他一起去找那个村庄,可是再也没有找到过。The fisherman stays for a few days and then heads back home, making marks along the way. Later he informs the local officials about the place. They send someone to go with him to find the village, but they never find it again.
Hòulái, yóu zhègè gùshì chǎnshēng le “Shìwài Táoyuán” zhègè chéngyǔ.
后来,由这个故事产生了“世外桃源”这个成语。This story later gave rise to the idiom “世外桃源”.

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Chinese idioms: 悬梁刺股(Xuánliáng-cìgǔ)

悬梁刺股Xuánliáng-cìgǔ
Xīhàn shíqī yǒu gè jiào Sūnjìnɡ de Zhènɡzhìjiā,xuéxí fēichánɡ kèkǔ.Tā chánɡchánɡ cónɡ zǎoshɑnɡ xué dào wǎnshɑnɡ,kěshì dúshū shíjiān chánɡ le jiù rónɡyì kùn dé dádúnér.Wèile bù yǐnɡxiǎnɡ xuéxí,tā yònɡ shénɡzi bǎ zìjǐ de tóufɑ bǎnɡzài fánɡliánɡ shànɡ,yì dádúnér shénɡzi jiùhuì lāzhù tóufɑ, zhěnɡgè rén mǎshànɡ jiù qīnɡxǐnɡ le.
西汉时期有个叫孙敬的政治家,学习非常刻苦。他常常从早上学到晚上,可是读书时间长了就容易困得打盹儿。为了不影响学习,他用绳子把自己的头发绑在房梁上,一打盹儿绳子就会拉住头发,整个人马上就清醒了。Durning the Western Han Dynasty there was a statesman named Sun Jing who studied very hard at his early age. He often studied from morning till evening, but because he was studying for so long that it was easy to doze off. As not to impede his study, he used a rope to tie his hair to the house beam so that if he fell asleep it would pull on his hair and he would immediately come awake.
Zhànguó shíqī háiyǒu yígè zhùmínɡ de Zhènɡzhìjiā jiào Sūqín.Tā chánɡchánɡ dúshū dào hěn wǎn,wéile bú rànɡ zìjǐ shuìzháo,tā zhǔnbèi le yìbǎ zhuīzi,yí juédé kùn jiù yònɡ zhuīzi zài zìjǐ de dàtuǐ shànɡ cì yí xià,ránhòu jìxù dúshū.
战国时期还有一个著名的政治家叫苏秦。他常常读书到很晚,为了不让自己睡着,他准备了一把锥子,一觉得困就用锥子在自己的大腿上刺一下,然后继续读书。During the Warring States period there was another statesman called Su Qin. He often studied until very late, and in order not to fall asleep he prepared an awl. Whenever he felt sleepy, he would poke himself in the leg with it and then continued to study.

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Chinese idioms:初生牛犊不怕虎Chū shēng niú dú bù pà hǔ

Dōnɡhàn mònián, Liúbèi yǔ Cáocāo dàzhàn, Cáocāo shībài, yúshì Cáocāo biàn pài dàjiànɡ Pánɡdé lǐnɡbīnɡ qù jiùyuán.
东汉末年,刘备与曹操大战,曹操失败,于是曹操便派大将庞德领兵去救援。Towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Bei defeated Cao Cao in battle. Cao Cao then assigned General Pang De to lead his troops.
Pánɡdé dào zhànchǎnɡ yǐhòu, rànɡ shìbīnɡmen táizhe yìkǒu ɡuāncɑi, zǒuzài duìwude qiánmiɑn, fāshì yǔ Liúbèide jūnduì juéyìsǐzhàn. Liǎnɡjūn dàzhàn bǎiyú huíhé, bù fēn shènɡfù. Liúbèide dàjiànɡ Xiànɡshànɡ Sīɡuānpínɡ bàoɡào shuō:“Pánɡdéde dāofǎ fēichánɡ xiánshú, zhēn búkuì shì Cáocāode yǒnɡjiānɡ. ” Guānpínɡ shuō:“súhuàshuō ‘ānɡ shēnɡxiàláide xiǎoniúdú lián láohǔ dōu bú hàipà.’ wǒmen juéduì bùnénɡ qīnɡshì tā ā.”
庞德到战场以后,让士兵们抬着一口棺材,走在队伍的前面,发誓与刘备的军队决一死战。两军大战百余回合,不分胜负。刘备的大将向上司关平报告说:“庞德的刀法非常娴熟,真不愧是曹操的勇将。”关平说:“俗话说‘刚生下来的小牛犊连老虎都不害怕。’我们绝对不能轻视他啊!”When Pang De reached the battlefield, he ordered his soldiers to carry a coffin in front of the troops as a sign of his oath to burn his bridges with Liu Bei’s troops. Both armies fought many times and came out even. The Liu Bei's general reported to his commander Guan Ping, “Pang De is very skilled and valiant; he deserves to be Cao Cao’s general.” Guan Ping replied, “There is a saying that goes ‘Newborn calves are not afraid of the tiger’. We definitely should not look down on him.”

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Chinese idioms:暗送秋波àn sònɡ qiū bō

Dōnɡhàn mònián, qúnxiónɡbìnɡqǐ, tiānxià dàluàn, huánɡdì hūnyōnɡ, cháozhōnɡ dàchén Dǒnɡzhuó shǒuwò zhònɡquán, jiāohènɡ bùkěyíshì. Yúshì Sītúwánɡyǔn dǎsuɑn chúdiào Dǒnɡzhuó. Wánɡyǔn yǒu yìxiǎoqiè, jiàoDiāochán, zhǎnɡdé tèbié piàoliɑnɡ. Wánɡyǔn ɡùyì rànɡ diāochán yǔ dǒnɡzhuóde yǎnɡzǐ Lǚbù xiānɡài, Wánɡyǔn rànɡ Diāochán péi Lǚbù hē jiǔ, jiǔjiān Diāochán duì Lǚbù “qiūbōsònɡqínɡ”, nònɡdé Lǚbù húnbùshǒushě. Ránhòu Wánɡyǔn yòu bǎ Diāochán sònɡɡěi le Dǒnɡzhuó. Jiéɡuǒ Lǚbù yīnwèi diāochán yǔ Dǒnɡzhuó jiéxià yuānchóu, hòulái jiùbǎ Dǒnɡzhuó shāle.
东汉末年,群雄并起,天下大乱,皇帝昏庸,朝中大臣董卓手握重权,骄横不可一世。于是司徒王允打算除掉董卓。王允有一小妾,叫貂蝉,长得特别漂亮。王允故意让貂蝉与董卓的养子吕布相爱,王允让貂蝉陪吕布喝酒,酒间貂蝉对吕布“秋波送情”,弄得吕布魂不守舍。然后王允又把貂蝉送给了董卓。结果吕布因为貂蝉与董卓结下冤仇,后来就把董卓杀了。
Towards the end of East Han Dynasty, the land was in chaos due to warring amongst independent warlords. The king was a fool and Dong Zhuo, a minister who possessed important authority, was very arrogant. Situ Wang Yun attempted to assassinate Dong Zhou. His plan involved asking his beautiful concubine, Diao Chao, to seduce Lu Bu, Dong Zhuo's adopted son.He asked Diao Chao to accompany Lu Bu for drinks. During the banquet Diao Chao made eyes at Lu Bu and drove the man out of his mind. Then Wang Yun sent Diao Chan to Dong Zhuo. These machinations led to a feud between Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo involving Diao Chan that resulted in Dong Zhou's murder.

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Chinese idioms:双管齐下 Shuāng guān qí xià

Tánɡcháo yǒu yíwèi zhùmínɡde huàjiā jiào Zhānɡzào. Tā shànchánɡ huà shānshuǐ, sōnɡshí. Zhānɡzào zuòhuàde shíhou, zuǒyòushǒu ɡèwò yìzhībǐ, kéyǐ tónɡshí zài zhǐshànɡ zuòhuà. Yìzhībǐ huà cānɡcuìde sōnɡzhī, lìnɡyìzhībǐ huà kūɡānqiúzhī, huàchūde sōnɡshù wéimiàowéixiāo, rénmen dōushuō tāshì shénbǐ.
唐朝有一位著名的画家叫张燥,他擅长画山水、松石。张燥作画的时候,左右手各握一支笔,可以同时在纸上作画。一支笔画苍翠的松枝,另一支笔画枯干虬枝,画出的松树惟妙惟肖,人们都说他是神笔。
During the Tang Dynasty, there lived a famous artist named Zhang Zao who was a master painter of landscapes, pine trees and stones. He could paint with a brush in each hand, one brush portraying dark green pine branches while the other illustrated dried up branches. His paintings were very vivid and many praised him for possessing a magic pen.

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Chinese idioms : 走马观花 Zǒu mǎ guān huā

Tánɡcháo zhōnɡqī, yǒuwèi zhùmínɡ de shīrén Mènɡjiāo. Tā chūshēn pínhán, cónɡxiǎojiù qínfèn hàoxué, hěn yǒucáihuá. Dànshì, tāde shìtú què yìzhí hěn búshùnlì, hǎjǐcì cānjiā jìnshì kǎoshì dōu luòlebǎnɡ. Tā bìnɡ méiyǒu huīxīn, rénɡrán kèkǔ xuéxí. Gōnɡyuán 797 nián, Mènɡjiāo yòu cānjiā le yícì jìnshì kǎoshì, zhècì, tā zhōnɡyú kǎoshànɡle, Mènɡjiāo ɡāoxìnɡjíle. Yúshì tā chuānshànɡ zhǎnxīnde yīfu, zhāshànɡ hónɡhuā, qízhemǎ, zài chánɡānchénɡlǐ jìnqínɡdì yóulǎn. Bìnɡxiěxiàle “chūn fēnɡ dé yì mǎ tí jí, yí rì kàn jìn chánɡ ān huā” de qiānɡǔmínɡjù.
唐朝中期,有位著名的诗人孟郊。他出身贫寒,从小就勤奋好学,很有才华。但是,他的仕途却一直很不顺利,好几次参加进士考试都落了榜。他并没有灰心,仍然刻苦学习。公元797年,孟郊又参加了一次进士考试,这次,他终于考上了,孟郊高兴极了。于是他穿上崭新的衣服,扎上红花,骑着马,在长安城里尽情地游览。并写下了 “春风得意马蹄疾,一日看尽长安花”的千古名句。In the middle of the Tang Dynasty, there was a famous poet named Meng Jiao who was born poor and studied hard when he was little. Although he was talented, he was not successful in the official examinations. He failed imperial examinations several times, but he never gave up. In 797 AD, he took the exam again. Finally, he passed. Delighted, he put on new clothes, tied on red flowers and toured Chang’an City on horseback to his heart’s content. He  wrote the famous saying, “春风得意马蹄疾,一日看尽长安花”. 

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Chinese idioms: 三顾茅庐(Sān gù máolú)

三顾茅庐(Sān gù máolú)
Sānguó shí, Liú Bèi tīngshuō Zhūgě Liàng hěn yǒu cáishí, jiù xīwàng Zhūgě Liànɡ chūshān fǔzuǒ tā. Yī tiān, tā dàizhe lǐwù dào Lónɡzhōnɡ( Zhūɡěliànɡ de jūsuǒ) qù qǐng Zhūgě Liànɡ. Dàole yǐhòu, púrén què ɡàosù tā Zhūɡě Liànɡ bú zài, Liú Bèi shīwàng de huíqùle.
三国时,刘备听说诸葛亮很有才识,就希望诸葛亮出山辅佐他。一天,他带着礼物到隆中(诸葛亮的居所)去请诸葛亮。到了以后,仆人却告诉他诸葛亮不在,刘备失望地回去了。During the Three Kingdoms Period, Liu Bei heard Zhuge Liang was very talented. He hoped Zhuge Liang would come and work for him, so one day, he took gifts to Longzhong (the house of Zhuge Liang) to invite the talented man to the court. When he got there, the servant told Liubei that Zhuge Liang was not home. Liubei had no choice but to return home in disappointment.
Bù jiǔ, Liú Bèi yòu hé Guān Yǔ( GuānYǔ) Zhānɡ Fēi( Zhāng Fēi) màozhe dà fēng xuě qù, jiéguǒ púrén yòu gàosù tāmen Zhūgě Liànɡ bù zài. Guānyǔ hé Zhānɡfēi fēichánɡ shēnɡqì, tāmen fēnfēn quànshuō Liúbèi búyào zài qùle, kěshì Liúbèi háishì jiānchí yào qù.
不久,刘备又和关羽(Guān Yǔ)、张飞(Zhāng Fēi)冒着大风雪去,结果仆人又告诉他们诸葛亮不在。关羽和张飞非常生气,他们纷纷劝说刘备不要再去了,可是刘备还是坚持要去。Later, this time with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, Liu Bei went back to Zhuge Liang’s home, braving the strong wind and snow. But the servant again told him that Zhuge Liang was not in. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei became very angry. They persuaded Liu Bei to never return, but Liu Bei was insistent.
Dì-sān cì qù de shíhou Zhūɡěliànɡ zhènɡ zài shuìjiào, Liúbèi bù ɡǎn dǎrǎo tā, yīzhí děnɡ dào Zhūɡěliànɡ xǐnɡlái. Zhūɡěliànɡ kàndàole Liúbèi de juéxīn hé chénɡyì, biàn dāyìnɡ Liúbèi chūshān fǔzuǒ tā. Jiéɡuǒ Zhūɡěliànɡ chénɡwéi lìshǐshànɡ yī wèi zhùmínɡ de chénɡxiànɡ. 
第三次去的时候诸葛亮正在睡觉,刘备不敢打扰他,一直等到诸葛亮醒来。诸葛亮看到了刘备的决心和诚意,便答应刘备出山辅佐他。结果诸葛亮成为历史上一位著名的丞相。When they arrived the third time, Zhuge Liang was sleeping. Liu Bei didn’t want to disturb him, and so waited until he woke up. Zhuge Liang saw Liu Bei’s determination and sincerity, and agreed to assist Liu Bei. Zhuge Liang would eventually become one of the most famous prime ministers in history.
Words:
才识(cáishí): Ability and insight n.
辅佐(fǔzuǒ): Assist a ruler in governing a country v.
仆人(púrén): flunky n.
失望(shīwàng): disappointed adj.
纷纷(fēnfēn): in succession adv.
劝说(quànshuō): to advise v.
打扰(dárăo): to disturb v.
决心(juéxīn): determination n.
诚意(chéngyì): sincerity n.
丞相(chéngxiàng): minister prime
Meanings:
“三顾茅庐” 本来是指刘备一连三次请求诸葛亮出山辅佐他的故事。现比喻真心诚意地一再邀请某人做什么事情。The original meaning of “三顾茅庐” refers to Liu Bei asking Zhuge Liang to help him three times. Now, it’s often used as a metaphor to describe when a person sincerely invites somebody to do something repeatedly.
Sentences:
1. Tā sān ɡù máolú, cái qǐnɡ dàole zhèwèi jiàoshòu wèi wǒmen kāi jiǎnɡzuò.
他三顾茅庐,才请到了这位教授为我们开讲座。After our repeated requests, the professor finally gave us the lecture.
2. Zhūɡěliànɡ zhōnɡyú bèi Liúbèi sān ɡù máolú de jīnɡshén dǎdònɡle.
诸葛亮终于被刘备三顾茅庐的精神打动了。Zhuge Liang was touched by Liu Bei’s persistence to ask his help.  

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