好好学习天天向上了解中国文化，学习国际语言

按图索骥

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 12:08:52 -0000

In ancient China, there was a man named Sun Yang who was an expert at appraising horses. With one glance, he could tell whether a horse was good or bad. He was often requested to judge horses and select the best ones. Because it was said that the god Bo Le was responsible for horses, many people called Sun Yang Bo Le.
One time, when Bo Le was walking along the road, he saw a horse pulling a cart of salt. The horse cried out to him, and when he approached it, it was apparent that this was a swift horse. Bo Le thought it must be humiliating for such a fine horse to have to pull a salt cart. This horse could have been used on the battlefield for much greater things, rather than being condemned to obscurity, doing the work that ordinary horses do. The horse’s strength and spirit was slowly draining away. “It’s a great pity!” Bo Le sighed. He was so grieved that he shed tears. When the horse saw that Bo Le had noticed its predicament, it raised its head and cried out loudly. The sound was very solemn and stirring.
In order to teach more people how to appraise horses and to keep more horses from ending up in the same predicament as the horse he saw, Bo Le drew on all his years of knowledge and experience of judging horses and wrote a book. In his book, he explained many characteristics of excellent horses and drew many illustrations. The name of the book is Rules for Judging Horses.
Bo Le had a son who was not very intelligent. After the son read his father’s book, he thought he had learned all his father’s skills and believed it was easy to appraise horses. He read from the Rules for Judging Horses, “The main characteristics of an excellent horse are a high forehead, large eyes, and well-shaped round hooves.” He learned these rules by heart, and went out with the book to look for the finest horses.
One day, he saw a toad by the roadside, so he caught it and went back to tell his father: “I found an excellent horse. Look, its head and eyes are just the same as you described in the book. Only the hooves are not much like you described.
When Bo Le saw the toad in his son’s hands, he was very angry but also thought the situation was rather humorous. He said with a laugh, “This horse likes to jump; there is no way we can ride it!”
“Looking for a horse according to a book:” means judging something only based on a description. The first meaning is using instructions or a description to find something or figure something out; the second meaning is being inflexible, rigidly following instructions literally without thinking about what is actually meant. For example, we should learn from foreign countries because of their advanced experience, but we shouldn’t look for a horse according to the book. We should learn, but we shouldn’t copy.

东郭先生

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:50:14 -0000

The story of the fisherman and the monster in 1001 Arabian Nights is popular all over the world. China has a story that is very similar to it. It is called “Mr. Dong Guo and the Wolf.”
Long ago, in Zhong Shan (in what is now Hebei province) there was a kind, educated man called Mr. Dong Guo. One day, he set out on a long journey with a bag of books. He didn’t have the heart to make his donkey carry the books all that way, so he carried them himself and led the donkey with a rope. After walking a ways, he stopped by the roadside to have a rest. Just then, an injured wolf ran out of the forest, stopped in front of Mr. Dong Guo, and pleaded with him: “Sir, I am fleeing from a hunter who has wounded me with one of his arrows. I was nearly killed. Please help me, and I promise I will repay your kindness later.” Although Mr. Dong Guo knew that wolves often harmed people, he saw how pitiful the injured wolf was, and couldn’t resist helping him. So, he said, “I really want to help you, but how can I?” The wolf replied, please put me into your bag and hide me.” So Mr. Dong Guo dumped out the books from his bag and asked the wolf to go in it.
In a moment, a hunter came by riding a horse. He asked Mr. Dong Guo, “Sir, have you seen a wolf?” Mr. Dong Guo replied, “Yes, I saw one. He ran to the west.” The hunter believed Mr. Dong Guo’s words, and immediately headed west. After the hunter left, Mr. Dong Guo let the wolf out. But as soon as the wolf came out of the bag, he said, “I was in that stuffy bag for a long time. Now I’m hungry. If you help someone, you should help them completely. Help me one last time and let me eat you!” As he said this, he pounced on Mr. Dong Guo.
As Mr. Dong Guo was struggling with the wolf, he shouted, “Help!” Then, an old peasant with a hoe over his shoulder came up. Mr. Dong Guo grabbed the peasant’s arm and told him how he had saved the wolf and how the wolf wanted to eat him in return for his kindness. But the wolf wouldn’t admit that Mr. Dong Guo had saved his life. The peasant thought and then said, “I don’t believe you. How could such a big wolf fit in a bag that size? I won’t believe it unless I see it with my own eyes.” The wolf agreed and climbed back into the bag. Quickly, the peasant tied up the bag and said to Mr. Dong Guo, “You cannot change the fact that it is a wolf’s nature to eat people. You have been merciful to this wolf, and that was very foolish of you!” Then, he took his hoe and beat the wolf to death.
Now, “Mr. Dong Guo” and “Zhongshan Wolf” are set phrases in Chinese. “Mr. Dong Guo” refers to people who cannot tell good people from bad, and who give sympathy to those who will take advantage of it. “Zhongshan Wolf” refers to ungrateful people who return evil for good.

梁上君子

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:44:46 -0000

During the East Han period, there lived a fair, well-respected man named Chen Shi. Everyone trusted his opinions, and whenever they had a quarrel or dispute, they would ask Chen Shi to settle it. One year, his hometown had a famine, and some left to try to make a living elsewhere. A few became thieves, providing for themselves by stealing from others.
One evening, a thief sneaked into Chen Shi’s home, waiting to rob the house after the family was asleep. He hid on a beam on the ceiling, but Chen Shi saw him. Still, Chen Shi decided to pretend that he hadn’t noticed the thief. After he put on his clothes, he called his children and grandchildren and asked them all to come to his room. Then he spoke to them very seriously: “When you grow up, you must treasure your reputation, try your best at all you do and exercise self-discipline. Don’t do any harm to others. A bad man is not really bad when he is born. But if he isn’t disciplined and falls into bad habits and doesn’t correct them in time, he will gradually turn into a wicked man. If a person will discipline himself, then he will become honorable.”
After Chen Shi said this, he immediately pointed to the beam and said, “Look, the man on the beam of the ceiling is a living example of my point.”
When the thief heard this, he felt ashamed and frightened. He hurried down from the beam, confessed his guilt to Chen Shi and begged for mercy. Seeing the thief’s repentance, Chen Shi said, “ I see that you are not a bad man. Perhaps your life has been too difficult and has led you to do such things?”
Chen Shi asked his family to give two bolts of silk to the thief and tried to persuade him not to steal anymore. The thief burst into tears of gratitude and swore that he would never be a thief in the future and that he would become an upright man.
The idiom “the person on the beam” comes from this story. “Person on the beam” means thief. Liang means beam on the ceiling. Jun zi is an ancient form of address for an intellectual. It is used here to show irony.

愚公移山

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:42:24 -0000

Once there was an old man, over 90 years old, named Yu Gong. In front of his home were two high mountains. One was called Tai Hang and the other was called Wang Wu. These two mountains blocked the way of Yu Gong and his family. Whenever they wanted to go anywhere, they had to walk all the way around the mountains, and this was very difficult for them.
One day, while they were eating, Yu Gong said to his family: “These mountains are too much in the way! Let’s move them! What do you think about that?” Yu Gong’s sons and grandsons nodded their heads and agreed. But Yu Gong’s wife said, “You are so old. You don’t even have the strength to move a small hill. How could you move two huge mountains? Even if you could move them, where would you put the earth and stones that you dug out of the mountains?” When Yu Gong and his children heard this, they laughed: “That’s easy! We’ll throw the earth and stones into the sea!” So Yu Gong and his sons and grandsons began to dig away at the mountains. They used a hammer to chisel down the stone, then carried the earth and stone to the sea in dustpans. There was a little neighbor boy who didn’t even have his front teeth yet. When he saw what Yu Gong and his sons were doing, he went down with them to help move the mountain. The sea was so far away, that from winter to summer, they could only make one trip there and back.
Also living nearby was an old man called Zhi Sou. He laughed and said, “Yu Gong, you are so foolish; you are already so old. Even if you do this until you die, can you really move the mountain?” Yu Gong answered, “You are too set in your ways. Even this child knows better than you. If I die, my son will continue on this work. He will have sons and grandsons, and his grandsons will have sons and grandsons, on and on through generations. But the mountains will not become higher or wider. If we keep digging at them, they will gradually get smaller and smaller. One day, we will move the mountains. In all the world, is there anything too difficult to overcome?” Zhi Sou had nothing to say to that and nothing to do but go away.
Yu Gong and his family continued, through the hot summers and cold winters. Every morning they rose early, and every evening they went to bed late. Later, their deeds reached the god’s ears. The god was moved by their spirit. So he sent two angels to go to the earth and carry the two mountains away.
The story of “Yu Gong Moving the Mountains” has spread up to now. It tells people that no matter how difficult a task is, with perseverance, it is possible to succeed. Usually, if someone has the courage to persevere no matter how difficult things are, people will say that he is like Yu Gong and is certain to be successful.

四面楚歌

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:40:42 -0000

In 206 BC a war broke out between Xiang Yu, the king of the Chu state, and Liu Bang, the king of the Han state. In history, this was called the Chu-Han war. In the beginning, Xiang Yu’s side was winning, but later Liu Bang gradually gained the advantage. In 202 BC, Liu Bang surrounded Xiang Yu’s army in what is now Anhui province. Then, Xiang Yu had few soldiers and they were running out of food. Liu Bang thought of a clever strategy, now called “Songs coming from all directions.”
One night, Xiang Yu heard sounds all around him. He awoke with a start. The sounds were the songs of the Chu state, Xiang Yu’s home. The lyrics were sad and filled Xiang Yu with longing for his home. The sound of the songs spread through the whole army, reminding the soldiers of their home. They couldn’t help joining in the songs. Some soldiers were moved to tears and none of the soldiers felt like fighting anymore.
Xiang Yu wondered if Liu Bang had already captured the Chu state. If he hadn’t, why was his army filled with Chu soldiers? When Xiang Yu thought of this, he felt certain that he would lose the war. He ordered his men to set him a banquet in his tent and said goodbye to his beloved concubine Yu Ji. He said sadly, “Yu Ji, how shall I provide for you?” Later, he asked Yu Ji to do the sword dance with him. As they were dancing, Yu Ji suddenly thrust the sword into her stomach, and died instantly.
Xiang Yu was overwhelmed with sorrow, and led his few hundred soldiers to break through Liu Bang’s army. But the Han army continued to follow them closely until they arrived at the Wu River. Xiang Yu had no way to escape and could think of no way to redeem himself from his failure. There was no way he could face his family after this defeat, so he took out his sword and killed himself by the riverside.
“Songs coming from all directions” comes from this story. The “songs” in the idiom are the songs of the Chu state. This refers to being surrounded by obstacles on all sides with no one to turn to, and to being in a state of extreme isolation.

井底之蛙

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:37:32 -0000

In a shallow well, there lived a frog. One day, the frog jumped out of the well. He met a large turtle from the East Sea, and said to it, “The well where I live is a very pleasant place. When I am happy, I jump up out of the well, jump over the wall surrounding it, and play in the area nearby. Then, when I am tired, I go back to the well and rest quietly in its depths. The water in the well just comes up to my chin. The mud around my feet feels soft and comfortable. You see, the shrimp, crabs, tadpoles, and other water creatures are all not as happy as I am. Also, I am the only occupant of the well. Inside the walls of the well is such a wonderful place. Why don’t you come in and share my happiness?”
When the turtle heard what the frog said, he wanted to go into the well and see for himself, but before he even got his left leg into the well, his right leg was already stuck in the mud. The turtle had to carefully back out so he would not be completely stuck in the well. Then he began to tell the frog about the sea: “Have you seen the sea? The sea is more than one thousand miles wide. It is very deep, deeper than the height of a thousand-mile-high mountain. In ancient times, nine years out of ten, blood on the land kept the water of the sea from rising; later, seven years out of eight, drought held back the waters of the sea; now the sea stays the same depth and does not change from year to year. Since the waters of the great sea are always the same, it is a very pleasant place to live!”
When the frog heard this story, he was amazed. He wondered how it was possible that there was a bigger world outside the well. This story tells us that the frog could only see the world as the size of the opening of the well. It refers to people with narrow vision and experience.

画蛇添足

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:35:30 -0000

A nobleman, after making offerings to his ancestors, took some of the wine that was left over from the offerings and gave it to his men. The men looked at the wine and saw that there was very little of it. One of the men suggested, “If we all drink from this bottle of wine, each of us will just barely get a taste of it. It would be much better if all the wine went to one person. What do you think?”
Everyone agreed that this was a good idea, but couldn’t agree on who should get the wine. No one was willing to give in and let someone else have it, for everyone wanted the wine for himself. They didn’t know how to decide. The man who had the first idea soon spoke up: “We will have a competition and see who can draw a snake on the ground first. The one who finishes drawing first will win the bottle of wine, all right?
Everyone though this idea was good, so they began the competition. Everyone squatted down on the ground to draw a snake. One of them finished his drawing quickly, but before he claimed the bottle of wine, he looked around at the others who were still drawing. Everyone had their heads bent over their work, and the man thought he had time to add more to his drawing. He decided to add four feet to his snake.
But while he was drawing the feet, another man finished drawing. This man took the wine and laughed at the first man: “A snake didn’t have feet to begin with! Why have you given your snake feet?”
Then, he took the bottle of wine, and guzzled it down. The man who drew feet on the snake could only look at the empty bottle of wine and drool with longing.
The idiom “Draw feet on a snake” comes from this story. Now people use it to illustrate this idea: it is harmful to do unnecessary things when they are not wanted.

滥竽充数

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:41:07 -0000

Just Going Through the Motions
In ancient times, the king of the Qi kingdom loved music. He especially loved to listen to the playing of the yu (similar to a flute). He enjoyed listening to entire ensembles playing the yu. So, he sent people all over the country to seek out the most talented musicians. 300 musicians were found and formed an ensemble to play the yu for the king. All the musicians who were chosen to play in the court were treated royally.
Then, there was a lazy man in the kingdom, a crafty ne’er-do-well named Nan Guo. When he heard that the king had this interest in music and the court musicians were paid so well, he put all his efforts into getting into the yu ensemble. He managed to get an audience with the king, and began to boast of what an excellent musician he was. His boasts gained the king’s favor, so the king accepted Nan Guo into the ensemble.
What was absurd was that Mr. Nan Guo couldn’t play the yu at all. At every practice, he would only pretend to play and try to imitate what those around him were doing. He would move his head in time with the music and put on the best act that he could in order to make it appear that he knew what he was doing. Because there were so many people in the ensemble, the king couldn’t tell who could play and who couldn’t. Nan Guo kept this up for several years, deceiving his audience so successfully that the king never suspected anything. He continued to receive all the benefits of his position, as high a salary as the truly talented musicians. In this way, he managed to live a comfortable life. He became complacent as he came to believe that he could always keep up his deception and remain a member of the ensemble.
Later, the king who loved to listen to the yu died and his son came to the throne. The son also loved to listen to the yu, but his preferences were different from the previous king. He believed that the sound of three hundred people playing together was much too loud. So the new king issued a decree: all three hundred musicians were to practice very well, and then each would play for the king individually.
When Nan Guo heard this, he broke into a cold sweat. He was terrified that his trick would be found out. If he were only to lose his job, it wouldn’t be so bad, but he had cheated the emperor, a capital crime. If the king discovered this deception, Nan Guo would lose his head. That night, he packed his things and escaped the court.

指鹿为马

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:37:18 -0000

Calling a Deer a Horse
After the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shi Huang, died, his son Hu Hai seized the throne. People call Hu Hai Qin the Second. Zhao Gao served as prime minister to Hu Hai. All the power of the realm was actually in Zhao Gao’s hands. But eventually, Zhao Gao became dissatisfied with his position and coveted the emperor’s throne for himself. But he was not certain how many people in the court would support him and how many would oppose him. He soon came up with a plan and decided to try it.
One day, he found a deer and brought it to the emperor. In the court, in front of all the ministers, he dramatically gestured toward the deer: “Your majesty, this is an excellent horse I am giving you. It can run 500 kilometers in one day and 400 kilometers in one night.”
When the emperor heard this, he burst into laughter: “Prime Minister, this is obviously a deer! Why would you tell me this is a horse?”
Zhao Gao responded, “This really is an excellent horse. If your majesty doesn’t believe me, ask any of the other ministers here.”
At first, all the emperor’s ministers were confused as to what Zhao Gao was asking. They began to whisper amongst themselves: “What can he be up to? It is obvious whether the animal is a deer or a horse!”
Then they looked at Zhao Gao and noticed his sinister smirk. His eyes darted furtively around the room, stopping to focus on each one of the ministers. Finally, the other ministers understood what Zhao Gao was trying to do.
A few timid but upright ministers hung their heads and said nothing. They didn’t want to lie, yet they didn’t dare to speak the truth. A few brave and upright ministers stated courageously that the animal was a deer rather than a horse. Also, some who wanted to gain favor with Zhao Gao said, “This is certainly an excellent horse!”
Later, Zhao Gao had all those courageous ministers who had spoken against him put to death. This idiom means saying black is white, and confusing right from wrong.

拔苗助长

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:00:17 -0000

Once upon a time, there was a farmer who made his living by growing grain. Every day, he would go out to the fields before dawn and would not return home until the sun was setting against the mountains. He went on in this way day after day, year after year.
Every evening when he came home, he was so tired that he didn’t even want to move. Sometimes he was too tired to say a word. He started to become discouraged, because even though he worked so hard every day, the crops were not growing very quickly. He worried that they would never grow at all.
One day, the farmer worked for a long time and felt very tired, so he sat down at one end of the field to rest. He watched the crops as he thought. “Crops, crops, why don’t you grow more quickly?” he said aloud. As he was thinking, he unconsciously pulled up a small plant. Then, an idea suddenly occurred to him. He immediately got up and set to work. He pulled up the plants one by one, thinking, “this way you can grow more quickly.”
When he reached home, it was very late. His son asked, “Dad, why are you home so late tonight?” The farmer answered, “Today I was exhausted. I pulled up all the plants, one by one. I thought that if I pulled them up higher, they would grow tall in no time.” When the son heard this, he was shocked. He immediately ran to the fields, but he was too late. All the plants were already withered.
This story tells us: “If you interfere with the natural development with something and try to make it develop more quickly than it should, you will ruin it.

好好学习天天向上 了解中国文化，学习国际语言