Author: nlt

退避三舍 (Tuì bì sān shè) (1) lit. to retreat [a distance of] three day’s march (idiom); fig. to give way in the face of superior strength(2) a strategic withdrawal From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=105 The “Zuo Zhuan – Duke Xi‘s 23rd year” recorded that during the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Xian of Jin doted on his concubine,…

土崩瓦解 (Tǔ bēng wǎ jiě)(0) Lit. Earth crumbling and tiles breaking(1) to collapse(2) to fall apart From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=173 Source: 秦之積衰，天下土崩瓦解。（西漢·司馬遷《史記·秦始皇本紀》）[With] Qin‘s long decline, the earth collapsed and tiles cracked everywhere in the world. (Western Han, Sima Qian – Records of the Grand Historian – Biography of Qin Shihuang) “Earth (foundation) crumbling, or landslide (土崩)” indicates…

鐵杵磨針 (Tiě chǔ mó zhēn)Lit. Grinding an iron pestle to make an embroidery needle. From https://baike.baidu.hk/item/%E9%90%B5%E6%9D%B5%E7%A3%A8%E9%87%9D/1923839 Source: this phrase originated from Zhu Mu (祝穆)’s Fang Yu Sheng Lan (方輿勝覽) in the Southern Song Dynasty: Passing by the small creek, he met an old woman grinding an iron pestle; upon asking her what she was doing,…

同甘共苦 (Tóng gān gòng kǔ) (1) shared delights and common hardships (idiom); to share life’s joys and sorrows(2) for better or for worse From https://baike.baidu.hk/item/%E5%90%8C%E7%94%98%E5%85%B1%E8%8B%A6/836632 Source: The King of Yan provided condolences to the dead and paid respect to the living; he shared delights and common hardships with the common citizens – Zhan Guo Ce…

天真爛漫 (Tiān zhēn làn màn) Innocent and unaffected From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=1097 “Innocent and unaffected (天真爛漫 – Tiānzhēn lànmàn)” was originally written as 天真爛熳. Gong Kai (龔開), a native of Huaiyin, Jiangsu Province, was a famous painter in the Southern Song Dynasty. Having a unique painting style, he loved to paint evil beings and Zhongkui, but unfortunately…