四面楚歌 (Sì miàn Chǔ gē) (1) lit. surrounded on all sides by the songs of Chu (idiom)(2) fig. surrounded by enemies, isolated and without help From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=41 According to the “Records of the Grand Historian – 7th book – Biography of Xiang Yu“: After the fall of the Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang…
Month: October 2023
015. The Vessel Built With Three Hacks
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval Part 1 – Magnificent Stories, Stories of Animals, Anecdotes (Cuentos maravillosos, Cuentos de animales, Anécdotas) 015. The Vessel Built With Three [Ax] Hacks (El Barco De Los Tres Hachazos) (Recounted by Captain D. Alberto Muñoz Figueroa, from Santiago in 1922) Know so one…
Sì hǎi zhī nèi jiē xiōng dì (四海之內皆兄弟 – 四海之内皆兄弟)
四海之內皆兄弟 (Sì hǎi zhī nèi jiē xiōng dì) Lit. Within the four seas all men are his brothers From https://baike.baidu.hk/item/%E5%9B%9B%E6%B5%B7%E4%B9%8B%E5%85%A7%E7%9A%86%E5%85%84%E5%BC%9F/833645 Source: Sima Niu (司馬牛) worriedly said: “Everyone has brothers, and I alone do not!” Zixia (子夏) replied: “I have heard people said ‘Life and death are preordained, wealth and honors are up to heaven. The…
014. The Half Chick
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval Part 1 – Magnificent Stories, Stories of Animals, Anecdotes (Cuentos maravillosos, Cuentos de animales, Anécdotas) 014. The Half Chick (El Medio Pollo) (Told in 1906 by Polonia González, about 50 years old more or less, a native of Colchagua) Know to tell and…
Sī kōng jiàn guàn (司空見慣 – 司空见惯)
司空見慣 (Sī kōng jiàn guàn) Lit. The Minister of Works is used to seeing thisFig. A common occurrence From https://baike.baidu.hk/item/%E5%8F%B8%E7%A9%BA%E8%A6%8B%E6%85%A3/602937 The poet Liu Yuxi (772 – 842A.D.) was born into a scholarly family where he was heavily influenced by its traditions, and later on became a strong advocate for political reforms in the government. After…
013. The Divining Parrot
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval Part 1 – Magnificent Stories, Stories of Animals, Anecdotes (Cuentos maravillosos, Cuentos de animales, Anécdotas) 013. The Divining Parrot (El Loro Adivino) (Referred to by 20-year old José Luis Pino, from Rancagua, in 1912) Know so one can tell, learn and listen. This…
Shuāng guǎn qí xià (雙管齊下 – 双管齐下)
雙管齊下 (Shuāng guǎn qí xià) (1) lit. to paint holding two brushes (idiom); fig. to work on two tasks at the same time(2) to attack one problem from two angles at the same time From https://baike.baidu.hk/item/%E9%9B%99%E7%AE%A1%E9%BD%8A%E4%B8%8B/833337 From Tang Dynasty – Zhu Jingxuan (朱景玄)’s Great Painters of Tang – Zhang Zao (唐朝名畫錄·張璪): “His technique in painting…
012. The Three Pieces of Advice – Chile
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval Part 1 – Magnificent Stories, Stories of Animals, Anecdotes (Cuentos maravillosos, Cuentos de animales, Anécdotas) 012. The Three Pieces of Advice (Los Tres Consejos) (Told by Mrs. Clorinda B. de Somerville in 1915) People should know that a very happily married couple once…
Shǒu zhū dài tù (守株待兔 – 守株待兔)
守株待兔 (Shǒu zhū dài tù) (1) lit. to guard a tree-stump, waiting for rabbits (idiom)(2) to wait idly for opportunities(3) to trust to chance rather than show initiative From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=39 Han Feizi, a political philosopher from the Warring States Period, elaborated that a king’s governance of his people should be in accordance with the times,…
011. Pinky
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval Part 1 – Magnificent Stories, Stories of Animals, Anecdotes (Cuentos maravillosos, Cuentos de animales, Anécdotas) 011. Pinky (El Miñique) (Referred to by 14-year old Mannel Oporto, of Temuco, which he heard told in Santiago in 1911) Know so one can tell, and tell…