不學無術 (Bù xué wú shù) Lit. without learning or skills (idiom); ignorant and incompetent. Explanation: Not learned, having no abilities. In the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the state official Huo Guang was an influential minister at the imperial court and was greatly trusted by the emperor. Before his death, Emperor Wu entrusted his…
Month: April 2022
102. The Devil’s Court Case
102. The Devil’s Court Case (El Juicio del Demonio) Two young men were walking along a road, and at a bend they encountered God and the Devil asking for alms. One of them only gave alms to God, but the other gave a peseta to God and a penny to the Devil because he remembered…
Bù rù hǔ xué, bù dé hǔ zǐ (不入虎穴, 不得虎子)
不入虎穴, 不得虎子 (Bù rù hǔ xué , bù dé hǔ zǐ) Meaning: (1) How do you catch the tiger cub without entering the tiger’s lair? (idiom); (2) Nothing ventured, nothing gained. [Note: As the site that I usually take these idioms from has some typos and missing words for this particular story, I read from…
101. The Cursed Inn
101. The Cursed Inn (La Posada Encantada) Once upon a time there was a little girl who lived in an inn by the road. The girl was very, very curious. She pried into everything, and everything caught her attention. One day some Moors arrived at the inn [and] they came with carts loaded with large…
Bù qū bù náo (不屈不撓 – 不屈不挠)
不屈不撓 (Bù qū bù náo) Meaning: unyielding; indomitable Explanation: “撓”, to bend, to yield. It describes not yielding to evil forces nor bowing out [in the face of] great difficulties. Story: Wang Shang (王商), courtesy name Ziwei (子威), inherited his father’s title as the Marquis of Lelu (樂呂侯). He was the prime minister under Emperor…