{"id":4506,"date":"2019-11-20T06:23:57","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T06:23:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/chinese-phrases\/chinese-allegories-lesson-17\/"},"modified":"2019-11-20T06:23:57","modified_gmt":"2019-11-20T06:23:57","slug":"chinese-allegories-lesson-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/mm\/chinese-allegories-lesson-17\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese allegories Lesson 17"},"content":{"rendered":"
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b\u0101n mén nòng f\u016d – zì bù liàng lì
<\/em><\/font>\u73ed\u95e8\u5f04\u65a7 – \u81ea\u4e0d\u91cf\u529b<\/strong>
Wield the axe before Lu Ban (the ancient master carpenter); display one’s learning or parade one’s skill in the presence of an expert – overestimate oneself or one’s strength; overrate oneself<\/p>\n

l\u0103o b\u0103o m\u016d dài hái zi – rén ji\u0101 de
<\/font><\/em>\u8001\u4fdd\u59c6\u5e26\u5b69\u5b50 – \u4eba\u5bb6\u7684
<\/strong>A babysitter looks after kids. – The kids are not his\/her own. Figuratively, it means something one has is not his\/her own, or something one does with effort is for the sake of others.<\/p>\n

b\u0101 xi\u0101n guò h\u0103i – gè xi\u0103n shén t\u014dng
<\/font><\/em>\u516b\u4ed9\u8fc7\u6d77 – \u5404\u663e\u795e\u901a
<\/strong>Like the Eight Celestials or Immortals crossing the sea, each displays his or her special prowess; each relies on his or her own resource and proves his or her own worth.<\/p>\n

cái shén yé jiào mén – ti\u0101n dà de h\u0103o shì
<\/font><\/em>\u8d22\u795e\u7237\u53eb\u95e8 – \u5929\u5927\u7684\u597d\u4e8b<\/strong>
God of Wealth knocks on your door. – What a great godsend!<\/p>\n

dà pào h\u014dng c\u0101ng ying – dà cái xi\u0103o yòng<\/font><\/em>
\u5927\u70ae\u8f70\u82cd\u8747 – \u5927\u6750\u5c0f\u7528<\/strong>
Bombard a fly with cannon – waste one’s talent on a petty job<\/p>\n

diàn xiàn g\u0101n shang b\u0103ng j\u012b máo – h\u0103o dà de d\u0103n (d\u0103n) zi<\/font><\/em>
\u7535\u7ebf\u6746\u4e0a\u7ed1\u9e21\u6bdb – \u597d\u5927\u7684\u80c6\uff08\u63b8\uff09\u5b50<\/strong>
Bind chicken feathers around a wire pole – What a nerve! (a pun on \u63b8\u5b50 and \u80c6\u5b50, which are homophones in Chinese. "\u63b8\u5b50" refers to "feather duster", while "\u80c6\u5b50" means "boldness, courage or nerve".)<\/p>\n

ná zhe j\u012b máo d\u0101ng lìng jiàn – xi\u0103o tí dà zuò<\/font><\/em>
\u62ff\u7740\u9e21\u6bdb\u5f53\u4ee4\u7bad – \u5c0f\u9898\u5927\u505a<\/strong>
Take a chicken feather for a warrant to give commands – treat one’s superior’s casual remark as an order and make a big fuss about it<\/p>\n

j\u012b f\u0113i dàn d\u0103 – li\u0103ng luò k\u014dng li\u0103ng tóu k\u014dng<\/font><\/em>
\u9e21\u98de\u86cb\u6253 – \u4e24\u843d\u7a7a\uff1b\u4e24\u5934\u7a7a<\/strong>
The hen has flown away and the eggs in the coop are broken. – All is lost; fall between two stools<\/p>\n<\/div>\n