背水一戰 (Bèi shuǐ yī zhàn) Lit. to fight with one’s back to the river (idiom); fig. to fight to win or die Explanation: To give battle with one’s back against the river, having no course for retreat. It describes not leaving a way out, as one must fight to the death. This idiom came from…
Month: January 2022
091. The Cuélebre and the Shepherd
091. The Cuélebre and the Shepherd (El Cuélebre y El Pastor) Once up on a time there was a shepherd who spent his days tending to his flock. One day he was walking behind his sheep in the mountain, thinking about his [daily] business when, suddenly, he heard a cuélebre calling for him from a…
Bàn tú ér fèi (半途而廢 – 半途而废)
半途而廢 (Bàn tú ér fèi) To give up halfway (idiom); to leave something unfinished Explanation: To stop and not continue forward when one is already half-way [to the goal line]. It is a metaphor for starting something but not finishing it. This idiom originated from the Book of Rites – Doctrine of the Mean (禮記…
090. The Sycamore Flower
090. The Sycamore Flower (La Flor del Sicomoro) There is a mountain in Vasconia that is known by the name of Iluntzar, a mountain that is above the town of Navárniz. In this mountain there exists a chasm whose depth is unknown, because no one has ever been able to measure it. It is a…
Bān mén nòng fǔ (班門弄斧 – 班门弄斧)
班門弄斧 (Bān mén nòng fǔ) Lit. Showing off the axe at [Lu] Ban’s gate. Explanation: It is a metaphor for showing off one’s [slight] skill in front of an expert. It is mostly used when one’s being humble [self-deprecating]. 采石江邊一堆土，李白之名高千古； 來來往往一首詩，魯班門前弄大斧。 Literal translation:There is a pile of dirt by the river next to Caishi,Li Bai‘s…
089. Truths of the Boatman
089. Truths of the Boatman (Las Verdades del Barquero) Once upon a time there was a man who spent all his day gambling and always lost his shirt. Desperate at the ruin he was falling into as a result of his addiction, he decided to throw himself into the sea and end it once and…
Bǎi zhé bù náo (百折不撓 – 百折不挠)
百折不撓 (Bǎi zhé bù náo) (1) to keep on fighting in spite of all setbacks (idiom)(2) to be undaunted by repeated setbacks(3) to be indomitable Explanation: It describes that no matter how many setbacks one has gone through, one will never shrink back or give up. It also denotes strong will and persevering character. Eastern…
088. The Golden Little Star
088. The Golden Little Star (Estrellita de Oro) There were a king and a queen who had only one daughter. Then the mother [queen] died and the king remarried. Life in the palace went very well until the new queen had a daughter because, from that moment on, all the love and pamper went to…
Bǎi wén bù rú yī jiàn (百聞不如一見 – 百闻不如一见)
百聞不如一見 (Bǎiwén bùrú yījiàn) Happy New Year 2022! (1) seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times (idiom); seeing for oneself is better than hearing from many others (2) seeing is believing Originated from “The Book of Han – Story of Zhao Chongguo” (漢書·趙充國傳) Chongguo said: “To hear [about something] a hundred times is…