Category: Chinese Words&Phrases

鸡鸣狗盗 Jī Míng Gǒu Dào
Zhànguó shíqī, QíGuó de MèngChángjūn xǐhuān zhàojí ménkè, bùguǎn zhè gè rén shìbúshì yǒu cáinéng, zhǐyào yuànyìdōu kěyǐ zuò tā de ménkè. Jùshuō tā de ménkè céngjīng yídù dádào le sānqiān rén.
战国时期，齐国的孟尝君喜欢召集门客，不管这个人是不是有才能，只要愿意都可以做他的门客。据说他的门客曾经一度达到了三千人。In the Warring States Period, Lord Meng Changjun of the state of Qi liked to summon followers for himself. Whether talented or not, anyone could be a follower of Meng as long as he was willing. It was said that his followers amounted to three thousand at one time.
Yǒu yí cì Mèngchángjūn dàilǐng ménkèmen chūshǐ QínGuó,Qínzhāowáng xiǎng liú tā zài QínGuó zuò guan. Kěshì QínGuó de dàchénmen rènwéi Mèngchángjūn búhuì zhēnxīn wèi QínGuó bànshì，liúzhe tā huì duì QínGuó búlì, yīnggāi shāle tā. Yúshì, Qínzhāowáng jiù bǎ Mèngchángjūn ruǎnjìn qǐlái, zhǐ děng zhǎo gè jièkǒu shā diào tā.
有一次孟尝君带领门客们出使秦国，秦昭王想留他在秦国做官。可是秦国的大臣们认为孟尝君不会真心为秦国办事，留着他会对秦国不利，应该杀了他。于是，秦昭王就把孟尝君软禁起来，只等找个借口杀掉他。Once, Meng Changjun led his followers to the state of Qin. Emperor Zhao of Qin wanted him to be his official. But the ministers of Qin believed Meng Changjun would not work for their state wholeheartedly and that they should kill him because he would be harmful to Qin. As a result, Emperor Zhao imprisoned Meng Changjun, buying time to come up with an excuse to kill him.
Dāngshí, QínGuó yǒu gè fēizǐ hěn shòu Qínzhāowáng chǒng’ài, tā shuō shénme zhāowáng dōu tīng. Mèngchángjūn jiù xiǎng qǐng tā bāngmáng. Fēizǐ dāyīngle, dàn tiáojiàn shì yào nà jiàn yǐjīng Xiàn gěi zhāowáng de hú pí yī. Mèngchángjūn hěn wéinán. Zhènghǎo yǒu gè ménkè shàncháng zuān gǒudòng tōu dōngxī, Mèngchángjūn jiù pài tā jiù bǎ nà jiàn húpí yī tōu chūlái xiàngěile zhè gè fēi zǐ. Fēi zǐ shuìfúle zhāowáng bù shā Mèngchángjūn, bìng zhǔnbèi guò liǎng tiān wèi tā jiànxíng. Mèngchángjūn què bùgǎn zài děng, dāngwǎn jiù dàizhe ménkèmen táozǒule. Tāmen dàodá chéngmén shí, háishì bànyè. ànzhào guīdìng, jī jiàole cáinéng dǎkāi chéngmén ，zěnmebàn ne? Mèngchángjūn de lìng yī gè ménkè zhènghǎo huì xué jījiào, tā jiàole jǐ shēng, chéngguān wài de jī tīngdào jiàoshēng yě gēnzhe jiàole qǐlái, shǒu chéng de shìbīng jiù dǎkāile chéngmén, tāmen chénggōng táohuí le Qíguó.
当时，秦国有个妃子很受秦昭王宠爱，她说什么昭王都听。孟尝君就想请她帮忙。妃子答应了，但条件是要那件已经献给昭王的狐皮衣。孟尝君很为难。正好有个门客擅长钻狗洞偷东西，孟尝君就派他就把那件狐皮衣偷出来献给了这个妃子。妃子说服了昭王不杀孟尝君，并准备过两天为他饯行。孟尝君却不敢再等，当晚就带着门客们逃走了。他们到达城门时，还是半夜。按照规定，鸡叫了才能打开城门，怎么办呢？孟尝君的另一个门客正好会学鸡叫，他叫了几声，城关外的鸡听到叫声也跟着叫了起来，守城的士兵就打开了城门，他们成功逃回了齐国。At that time, there was an imperial concubine who was highly favored by Emperor Zhao . He listened to whatever she said. Meng Changjun wanted to seek her help and she agreed under the condition that she received the fur clothing Meng had already sent to Emperor Zhao. Meng was very troubled. It so happened that one of his followers was good at pilfering, so Meng sent him to steal the clothing for the imperial concubine. The concubine persuaded the emperor not to kill Meng and he decided to give him a farewell dinner in two days. But Meng dared not to wait and led his followers to run away that night. It was still midnight when they got to the gate. According to the rule, the gate was not to be opened until the cocks crowed. What would they do? Another follower of Meng happened to be able to imitate a cock’s crow. The cocks outside the gate began to crow when they heard the follower’s noise. The soldiers guarding the city opened the gate and they successfully escaped back to Qi.
Words:
战国时期 (Zhànguó Shíqī) ： the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) n.
召集 (zhàojí) ： to convene v.
门客 (ménkè) ： idea man, hanger-on of an aristocrat n.
出使 (chūshǐ) ： serve as an envoy abroad v.
大臣 (dàchén) ： minister (of a monarchy) n.
软禁 (ruǎnjìn) ： to put under house arrest, detain a person v.
宠爱 (chǒng’ài) ： to favor v.
献给 (xiàngěi) ： to present, to dedicate v.
狐皮 (hú pí) ： fox fur n.
为难 (wéinán) ：adj. (feel) awkward
擅长 (shàncháng) ： be good at, be skilled at v.
说服 (shuìfú) ：to convince v.
饯行 (jiànxíng) ： give a farewell dinner v.
守城 (shǒu chéng) ：to guard the city v.
Meanings:
“鸡鸣狗盗”的字面意思是学雄鸡叫，装狗偷东西。比喻那些没有真才实学，只有微不足道本领的人，也指偷偷摸摸的行为。多用作贬义。The literal meaning of “鸡鸣狗盗”is “to crow like a cock and steal like a dog.” It is used as a figure of speech to describe trivial skills or tricks. It also refers to the behavior of a sneak in a derogatory way.
Sentences:
1．Bù zhīdào tā xiànzài shì zěnme huíshì, zǒng ài guānxīn yìxiē jīmíng gǒudào de rén hé shì.
不知道他现在是怎么回事，总爱关心一些鸡鸣狗盗的人和事。I don’t know what’s going on with him; he’s always into shady people and things.
2．Nǐ bù xiǎngxiǎng zìjǐ zěnme nǔlì, yìxīn xiǎng qiètīng qítā gōngsī de nèibù xìnxī. Zuò zhèzhǒng jīmíng gǒudào de shì, zhǐhuì diū zánmen gōngsī de liǎn.
你不想想自己怎么努力，一心想窃听其他公司的内部信息。做这种鸡鸣狗盗的事，只会丢咱们公司的脸。Instead of thinking about what efforts you should be making, you poured your heart into eavesdropping on private information of other companies. This kind of sneaky behavior puts our company to shame. 

Liánɡhónɡ shì dōnɡhàn shíqī de   yīɡè xuézhě, dānɡ tā niánqīnɡde shíhòu hěnqiónɡ, kào dānɡ yīɡè   zhūɡuān wéishēng. Tā qǔle Mèng‘guānɡ, yīɡè shòuɡuò liánɡhǎo    jiāoyù de nǚzǐ. Hòulái, tāmen bāndàole wúɡuó. Liánɡhónɡ kào ɡěi biérénde mǐ qùké wéishēnɡ. Měitiān dānɡtā huíjiā de shíhòu, Mènɡɡuānɡ jiù dīzhetóu tuōzhe yǒufàn    de pánzǐ   dìɡěi Liánɡhónɡ. Bǎ pánzǐ jǔzài méimáo de ɡāodù yǐbiǎoshì duì zhànɡfū de zūnzhònɡ.
梁鸿是东汉时期的一个学者。当他年轻的时候很穷，靠当一个猪倌为生。他娶了孟光，一个受过良好教育的女子。后来，他们搬到了吴国。梁鸿靠给别人的米去壳为生。每天当他回家的时候，孟光就低着头托着有饭的盘子递给梁鸿。把盘子举在眉毛的高度以表示对丈夫的尊重。Liang Hong was a scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was very poor when he was young, and earned his living as a swineherd. He married Meng Guang, a well educated woman. Later, they went to live in the State of Wu. There Liang Hong husked rice for others to make a living. Every day when he came home, Meng Guang served him food with her head bowed and holding the tray up to her eyebrows to show respect for him.
Yīncǐ zhèɡe chénɡyǔ: jǔ àn qí méi yònɡlái miáoshù yíduì fūfù zhījiān hùxiānɡ zūnzhònɡ duìfānɡ 。
因此这个成语：举案齐眉用来描述一对夫妇之间互相尊重对方。Hence the phrase, "holding the tray up to the eye­brows" describes a couple having respect and love for each other.

Chūnqiū shíhou, jìnɡuó ɡōnɡzǐ Chóng’ěr wèile duǒbì zhuīshā, táochūle jìnɡuó. Ta jīnɡɡuò qiānxīnwànkǔ, láidàole Chǔɡuó.
春秋时候，晋国公子重（chóng)耳为了躲避追杀，逃出了晋国。 他经过千辛万苦，来到了楚国。In the Spring and Autumn Period, Chong’ěr the son of a feudal prince in the State of Jin fled from Jin in order to avoid being killed. He came to State of Chu, persevering through hell and high water.
Chǔwánɡ shífēn lǐyù chòng’ěr. Yǒuyìtiān, tā qǐnɡ Chònɡ’ěr chīfàn, liǎnɡrén yìbiān hējiǔ yìbiān liáotiān, hūrán chǔwánɡ wèn Chònɡěr:" Rúɡuǒ yǒuyìtiān, nǐ dānɡleɡuójūn, nǐ yào zěnme ɡǎnxièwǒ ne?" Chònɡ’ěr huídá:"Zhēnbǎo, měinǚ, nín yǒudeshì, wǒ háinénɡ sònɡ shénme ɡěinín ne?"
楚王十分礼遇重耳。有一天，他请重耳吃饭，两人一边喝酒一边聊天，忽然楚王问重耳：“如果有一天，你当了国君，你要怎么感谢我呢？”重耳回答：“珍宝，美女，您有的是，我还能送什么给您呢？”King Chu treated him very well. One day, he invited Chong’ěr for dinner. They chatted while drinking. Suddenly King Chu asked Chong’ěr:"If one day, you become a king, how will you thank me?" Chong Er replied, "jewelry and beauties, you have plenty of. What else can I send?"
Chǔwánɡ shuō:" Huà shì zhème shuō, kěshì nǐ zǒnɡyīnɡɡāi ɡǎnxiè wǒ bɑ?" Chònɡěr xiàoxiào shuō:"Rúɡuǒ rìhòu wǒ zhēnde nénɡdānɡ ɡuójūn, yǔ nínde ɡuójiā fāshēnɡ zhànzhēnɡ, wǒ yídìnɡ mìnɡlìnɡ wǒde jūnduì wǎnɡhòu tuì sān shě （ yìshě děnɡyú sānshí lǐ ."
楚王说：“话是这么说，可是你总应该感谢我吧？”重耳笑笑说：“如果日后我真的能当国君，与您的国家发生战争，我一定命令我的军队往后退三舍（一舍等于三十里）。”King Chu said:"So it has been said, but you have to express your thanks, don’t you?" Chong Er smiled, "If I were to become the king later, in the event that war occurred between our countries, I would order my army to retreat 60 miles."
Sìnián hòu, Chònɡ'ěr zhēndí dānɡle ɡuójūn. Gōnɡyuánqián 633 nián, Chǔɡuó ɡēn Jìnɡuó zài zhànzhēnɡzhōnɡ xiānɡyù, Chònɡ'ěr yě yīzhào yuēdìnɡ, wǎnɡhòu tuìle sānshě.
四年后，重耳真的当了国君。公元前633年，楚国跟晋国在战争中相遇，重耳也依照约定，往后退了三舍。Four years later, Chong 'ěr did indeed become a king. In 633 BC, the State of Chu and Jin encountered each other in war and Chong'ěr kept his promise to order his army to retreat.

Cóngqián, yǒu gè rén yǎng le yì qún yáng. Yì tiān zǎochén, tā fāxiàn shǎo le yì zhī, zǐxì yí kàn, yuánlái yángquān pò le gè kūlóng, yè lǐ láng zuàn jìn lái bǎ yáng diāo zǒu le yì zhī. Línjū quàn tā shuō:” gǎnkuài bǎ yángquān xiū yì xiū, dǔ shàng kūlóng ba!” Nà gè rén bù kěn jiē shòu quàngào, huídá shuō:” yáng yǐ jīng diū le, hái xiū yángquān gàn shénme? ” Dì èr tiān zǎoshàng, tā fāxiàn yáng yòu shǎo le yì zhī. Yuánlái, láng yòu cóng kūlóng zuàn jìnlái, diāo zǒu le yì zhī yang. Tā hěn hòuhuǐ zìjǐ méi tīng cóng línjū de quàngào, biàn gǎnkuài dǔ shàng kūlóng, xiū hǎo le yángquān. Cóngc, láng zài yě bù néng zuàn jìn yángquān diāo yáng le.
从前，有个人养了一群羊。一天早晨，他发现少了一只，仔细一看，原来羊圈破了个窟窿，夜里狼钻进来把羊叼走了一只。邻居劝他说：“赶快把羊圈修一修，堵上窟窿吧！”那个人不肯接受劝告，回答说：“羊已经丢了，还修羊圈干什么？”第二天早上，他发现羊又少了一只。原来，狼又从窟窿钻进来，叼走了一只羊。他很后悔自己没听从邻居的劝告，便赶快堵上窟窿，修好了羊圈。从此，狼再也不能钻进羊圈叼羊了。Once there was a man who raised a flock of sheep and kept them in a sheepfold. One morning, he went to the sheepfold and found that one of the sheep was missing. He examined the sheepfold and found a hole in it. A wolf must have sneaked in from the hole and carried off the sheep. His neighbor advised him to mend the hole as soon as possible. The man ignored his advice and said, “ Since the sheep is already lost, it is no use mending the hole”. The next morning, another sheep was lost. The wolf had come again and got one more sheep. He regretted very much for not listening to his neighbor’s advice. He mended the hole immediately and from then on the wolf came for his sheep no more.
Words：
 群qún： a flock of, herd (m.w.)
 羊圈yáng juàn： sheepfold(n.)
 窟窿kūlong： hole(n.)
 钻zuān： to get into, to enter (a hole) (v.)
 叼diāo： to hold in the mouth(v.)
 劝quàn： to persuade, to advise(v.)
 堵dǔ： to block(v.)
 后悔hòuhuǐ： regretful (adj.)

Cóngqián, Chǔguó yǒu gè qióng shūshēng, zhěng tiān xiǎng de shì zěnme yàng cái néng fācái.
从前，楚国有个穷书生，整天想的是怎么样才能发财。Once upon a time there was a poor scholar who was obsessed with how to get rich.
Yǒu yì tiān, tā kàn dào yì běn shū shàng shuō:” rúguǒ néng zhǎodào tangling- bǔchán de shíhòu yòng lái zhēdǎng zìjǐ de nà piàn yèzǐ, ránhòu yòng tā zhē zhù yǎnjīng, biérén jiù kàn bú jiàn nǐ le.” Yúshì tā měitiān dōu qù shùlín lǐ zhǎo, guǒrán zhǎo dào yí piàn zhè yàng de yèzǐ.
有一天，他看到一本书上说：“如果能找到螳螂捕蝉的时候用来遮挡自己的那片叶子，然后用它遮住眼睛，别人就看不见你了。”于是他每天都去树林里找，果然找到一片这样的叶子。One day he read in a book that if one could find the leaf which was used as a screen by a mantis to catch cicada, and blocked his view with that leaf, he would be invisible to others. So he went to the woods everyday and finally found such a leaf as described.
Kě shì yí bù xiǎoxīn, zhè piàn yèzǐ luò dào le yì duī yèzǐ lǐ, tā zhī hǎo bǎ suǒyǒu de yèzǐ dōu dài huí le jiā. Tā bǎ shùyè yí piàn yí piàn dì fàng zài yǎnjīng qián, wèn qīzǐ:” nǐ kàn dé jiàn wǒ ma?” Kāi shǐ de shíhòu, qīzǐ zǒngshì shuō:” kàn dé jiàn . ” Hòu lái, qīzǐ bú nàifán le, jiù shuō “kàn bú jiàn le!”
可是一不小心，这片叶子落到了一堆叶子里，他只好把所有的叶子都带回了家。他把树叶一片一片地放在眼睛前，问妻子：“你看得见我吗？”开始的时候，妻子总是说：“看得见。”后来，妻子不耐烦了，就说“看不见了！”But by accident he dropped it into a heap of leaves, so he had to take home all of them. He held the leave over his eyes and kept asking his wife: "Can you see me?" At first his wife replied with “yes”, but in the end she got annoyed and lost her patience, saying:" No, I can't see you now!"
Shūshēng tīng le yǐhòu fēicháng xìngfèn, mǎshàng lái dào jíshì shàng, bǎ yèzǐ fàng zài yǎnjīng qiánmiàn, qù ná biérén diàn lǐ de dōngxī. Diànzhǔ zhuā zhù tā, sòng dào le guānfǔ lǐ. Xiànguān tīng tā shuō wán zhěng jiàn shì qíng hòu, fěngcì de shuō:” nǐ zhēn shì yíyè-zhàngmù, bú jiàn tàishān ā!”
书生听了以后非常兴奋，马上来到集市上，把叶子放在眼睛前面，去拿别人店里的东西。店主抓住他，送到了官府里。县官听他说完整件事情后，讽刺地说：“你真是一叶障目，不见泰山啊！”The scholar got excited and hurried to the market. Confident that he was lost to people's sight with the leaf over his eyes, and began to grab things from the shops. Of course he was caught by the shopkeepers and was sent to the local authority. When the official had listened to the ins and outs of the story, he said sardonically to the scholar:" A leaf before the eye makes you shut out the mountain Tai!"
Words：
书生shūshēng： intellectual; scholar（n.）
发财fācái： make a fortune （ v.）
螳螂tángláng： mantis（n.）
蝉chán： cicada （n.）
遮zhē： hide from view（v.）
耐烦nàifán：patient （adj.）
官府guānfǔ： local authority（n.）
县官xiànguān： feudal official （n. ）
讽刺fěngcì： satirize（v.）