{"id":7845,"date":"2019-10-05T16:18:29","date_gmt":"2019-10-05T16:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/chinese-reading\/story-behind-the-idiom-yelang-zi-da\/"},"modified":"2019-10-05T16:18:29","modified_gmt":"2019-10-05T16:18:29","slug":"story-behind-the-idiom-yelang-zi-da","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/fr\/story-behind-the-idiom-yelang-zi-da\/","title":{"rendered":"Story Behind the Idiom: YeLang Zi Da"},"content":{"rendered":"
Chinese Title: \u591c\u90ce\u81ea\u5927
Here we’ll cover the back story behind the idiom “\u591c\u90ce\u81ea\u5927”, or “Yelang thinks highly of itself”. This idiom one refers to someone who has a high, but misguided, opinion of their own worth. Stick this one in the language bank for when you need to take someone down a peg (preferably while stroking your fu manchu and calmly catching flies with your chopsticks).
Learning Simplified Chinese: Passages and Exercises for the Intermediate ReaderI learned a new word on this one: \u7edf\u6cbb t\u01d2ng zhì. Which brings the total number of “tongzhi” words (to<\/em>nal differences aside) I know up to three.
We’ve got:
\u540c\u5fd7 – tóng zhì or “Comrade” (and in Chinese slang this also means “a homosexual”, though if you keep an eye on the Chinese news you’ll see that that one of the more reputable local dictio<\/em>naries refused to include that definition though it’s in common use)
\u901a\u77e5 t\u014dng zh\u012b – To notify, give notice
And now, \u7edf\u6cbb t\u01d2ng zhì – To rule over (a kingdom \/ country)
Let us hope there aren’t any more co<\/em>nfigurations of that sound.
Click to Listen
\u6c49\u671d – hàn cháo – Han Dynasty
\u90e8\u4e0b – bù xià – Troops or subordinates under one’s command
\u5de1\u89c6 – xún shì – Go on an inspection tour
\u56fd\u5883 – guó jìng – Natio<\/em>nal Borders
\u8fce\u5408 – yíng hé – Serve one’s own interests \/ to fawn or cater
\u5f02\u53e3\u540c\u58f0 – yì k\u01d2u tóng sh\u0113ng – To say in unison
\u6d3e – pài – To dispatch, send someone
\u4f7f\u8005 – sh\u01d0 zh\u011b – Envoy
\u9014\u4e2d – tú zh\u014dng – En route
\u6c49\u671d\u7684\u65f6\u5019\uff0c\u5728\u897f\u5357\u65b9\u6709\u4e2a\u540d\u53eb\u591c\u90ce\u7684\u5c0f\u56fd\u5bb6\uff0c\u5b83\u867d\u7136\u662f\u4e00\u4e2a\u72ec\u7acb\u7684\u56fd\u5bb6\uff0c\u53ef\u662f\u56fd\u571f\u5f88\u5c0f\uff0c\u767e\u59d3\u4e5f\u5c11\uff0c\u7269\u4ea7\u66f4\u662f\u5c11\u5f97\u53ef\u601c\u3002\u4f46\u662f\u7531\u4e8e\u90bb\u8fd1\u5730\u533a\u4ee5\u591c\u90ce\u8fd9\u4e2a\u56fd\u5bb6\u6700\u5927\uff0c\u4ece\u6ca1\u79bb\u5f00\u8fc7\u56fd\u5bb6\u7684\u591c\u90ce\u56fd\u56fd\u738b\u5c31\u4ee5\u4e3a\u81ea\u5df1\u7edf\u6cbb\u7684\u56fd\u5bb6\u662f\u5168\u5929\u4e0b\u6700\u5927\u7684\u56fd\u5bb6\u3002
\u6709\u4e00\u5929\uff0c\u591c\u90ce\u56fd\u56fd\u738b\u4e0e\u90e8\u4e0b\u5de1\u89c6\u56fd\u5883\u7684\u65f6\u5019\uff0c\u4ed6\u6307\u7740\u524d\u65b9\u95ee\u8bf4\uff1a“\u8fd9\u91cc\u54ea\u4e2a\u56fd\u5bb6\u6700\u5927\u5440\uff1f”\u90e8\u4e0b\u4eec\u4e3a\u4e86\u8fce\u5408\u56fd\u738b\u7684\u5fc3\u610f\uff0c\u4e8e\u662f\u5c31\u8bf4\uff1a“\u5f53\u7136\u662f\u591c\u90ce\u56fd\u6700\u5927\u5570\uff01”\u8d70\u7740\u8d70\u7740\uff0c\u56fd\u738b\u53c8\u62ac\u8d77\u5934\u6765\u3001\u671b\u7740\u524d\u65b9\u7684\u9ad8\u5c71\u95ee\u8bf4\uff1a“\u5929\u5e95\u4e0b\u8fd8\u6709\u6bd4\u8fd9\u5ea7\u5c71\u66f4\u9ad8\u7684\u5c71\u5417\uff1f”\u90e8\u4e0b\u4eec\u56de\u7b54\u8bf4\uff1a“\u5929\u5e95\u4e0b\u6ca1\u6709\u6bd4\u8fd9\u5ea7\u5c71\u66f4\u9ad8\u7684\u5c71\u4e86\u3002”\u540e\u6765\uff0c\u4ed6\u4eec\u6765\u5230\u6cb3\u8fb9\uff0c\u56fd\u738b\u53c8\u95ee\uff1a“\u6211\u8ba4\u4e3a\u8fd9\u53ef\u662f\u4e16\u754c\u4e0a\u6700\u957f\u7684\u6cb3\u5ddd\u4e86\u3002”\u90e8\u4e0b\u4eec\u4ecd\u7136\u5f02\u53e3\u540c\u58f0\u56de\u7b54\u8bf4\uff1a“\u5927\u738b\u8bf4\u5f97\u4e00\u70b9\u90fd\u6ca1\u9519\u3002”\u4ece\u6b64\u4ee5\u540e\uff0c\u65e0\u77e5\u7684\u56fd\u738b\u5c31\u66f4\u76f8\u4fe1\u591c\u90ce\u662f\u5929\u5e95\u4e0b\u6700\u5927\u7684\u56fd\u5bb6\u3002
\u6709\u4e00\u6b21\uff0c\u6c49\u671d\u6d3e\u4f7f\u8005\u6765\u5230\u591c\u90ce\uff0c\u9014\u4e2d\u5148\u7ecf\u8fc7\u591c\u90ce\u7684\u90bb\u56fd\u6ec7\u56fd\uff0c\u6ec7\u738b\u95ee\u4f7f\u8005\uff1a“\u6c49\u671d\u548c\u6211\u7684\u56fd\u5bb6\u6bd4\u8d77\u6765\u54ea\u4e2a\u5927\uff1f”\u4f7f\u8005\u4e00\u542c\u5413\u4e86\u4e00\u8df3\uff0c\u4ed6\u6ca1\u60f3\u5230\u8fd9\u4e2a\u5c0f\u56fd\u5bb6\uff0c\u7adf\u7136\u65e0\u77e5\u7684\u81ea\u4ee5\u4e3a\u80fd\u4e0e\u6c49\u671d\u76f8\u6bd4\u3002\u5374\u6ca1\u60f3\u5230\u540e\u6765\u4f7f\u8005\u5230\u4e86\u591c\u90ce\u56fd\uff0c\u9a84\u50b2\u53c8\u65e0\u77e5\u7684\u56fd\u738b\u56e0\u4e3a\u4e0d\u77e5\u9053\u81ea\u5df1\u7edf\u6cbb\u7684\u56fd\u5bb6\u53ea\u548c\u6c49\u671d\u7684\u4e00\u4e2a\u53bf\u5dee\u4e0d\u591a\u5927\uff0c\u7adf\u7136\u4e0d\u77e5\u5929\u9ad8\u5730\u539a\u4e5f\u95ee\u4f7f\u8005\uff1a“\u6c49\u671d\u548c\u6211\u7684\u56fd\u5bb6\u54ea\u4e2a\u5927\uff1f”
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During the Han Dynasty, in the southwest there was a small country called Yelang, and although it was an independent nation, its territory was small, there weren’t many citizens, and its products were pitifully few. Because it was the largest kingdom in the near area, the Yelang king who’d never left his own country thought the country he ruled was the biggest on earth.
One day, the king of Yelang was on a natio<\/em>nal border inspection tour with his troops, when he pointed in front of him [to neighboring country] and said, “Which country is bigger?” In order to serve their own interests and make the king happy, the troops said, “Of course Yelang is bigger!” They walked along, and the king o<\/em>nce again lifted up his head, gazed at the big mountain in the distance and asked: “Is there a taller mountain than this anywher on earth?” And his men answered: “No, there’s no mountain taller than this one on earth.” After a while, they reached the river side, and the king asked again: “I think this is the world’s lo<\/em>ngest river.” And all his men said in unison “The king speaks truly.” After this, the ignorant king believed even more firmly that Yelang was the world’s biggest country.
Then one day, the Han Dynasty dispatched an envoy to Yelang, and en route they encountered the neighboring kingdom DianGuo, and the King of Dian asked the emissary: “If you compared the Han Dynasty and my Kingdom, which one would be bigger?” The emissary listened in astonishment, as he’d never have thought this small a country thought it could compare itself to the Han Dynasty. But he really never could have suspected that when he got to Yelang, the prideful and ignorant king who didn’t know that the kingdom he ruled was a<\/em>bout the size of one Han county, would ask with an exaggerated opinion of his own worth, “Which is bigger: the Han Dynasty or my country?”
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