八仙過海 (Bā xiān guò hǎi) Lit. Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea Explanation: It is an analogy for each person having a set of methods or skills to successfully complete their tasks. Legend has it that Lu Dongbin and the Eight Immortals traveled to the East China Sea [in order] to reach an island for immortals,…
Month: November 2021
082. White-Hand Maria
082. Maria [with] White Hands (María Manos Blancas) A poor baker from a small town in Extremadura had three daughters who captured everyone’s attention due to how beautiful they were. The baker left each morning to cut [gather] firewood for his oven, and it happened that one day he found a holm oak of good…
Bā miàn wēi fēng (八面威風 – 八面威风)
八面威風 (Bā miàn wēifēng) (1) intimidating, commanding presence; aura of awesome might Explanation: To allude to great fame and power, with incomparable prestige. The story dated back to the last years of the Yuan Dynasty when the feudal government was becoming more and more corrupted, with peasants everywhere raising the banner of rebellion: to revolt…
081. Juan The Bear
081. Juan The Bear (Juan El Oso) There was once a father who had two children, a boy and a girl. One day he sent them to the forest to search for firewood. They were collecting bundles [of firewood] in such good spirits when they saw a gigantic bear coming, whereupon they became so afraid…
Àn tú suǒ jì (按圖索驥 – 按图索骥)
按圖索驥 (àn tú suǒ jì) (1) lit. looking for a fine steed using only a picture (idiom) (2) fig. to do things along rigid, conventional lines (3) to try and find something with the help of a clue From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=159 Ming Dynasty. Yang Shen’s Yilin Fa’shan《藝林伐山．卷七》(the title is literally “Grow A Forest, Split A Mountain”,…
080. The Fool of Coria
080. The Fool of Coria (El Tonto de Coria) There was a married couple who had a son. Some said the boy was stupid and others said that he was too smart, but the case was in that town they all called him the Fool of Coria. One year, at the time of St. Martin,…
Àn jiàn shāng rén (暗箭傷人 – 暗箭伤人)
暗箭傷人 (Àn jiàn shāng rén) Literally: Injuring others with an arrow in the back [hidden/secret/sniping arrow] Explanation:It is a metaphor for secretly conducting a nefarious act or plot to injure others In the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Zhuang of Zheng obtained backing from the states of Lu and Qi for its plan to conquer…
079. The Young Pilgrim
079. The Young Pilgrim (La Peregrinita) Once there was a cursed prince [who lived] in a beautiful palace. While being cursed, the prince was not able to leave the palace; however, he was able to walk around in all of his gardens or to go on hunts even, as long as he never crossed the…