061. The Louse-Skin Drum (El Tambor De Piel De Piojo) [Nguyen: the story in the book is confusing / misleading, so I’m translating the same story found at this link here https://www.mundoprimaria.com/cuentos-infantiles-cortos/tambor-piel-piojo. I’ve also kept the translation of the original story in Cuentos Populares Espanoles at the end as reference.] —– NEW STORY FROM CITED…
Author: nlt
Qiān zǎi nán féng (千載難逢 – 千载难逢)
千載難逢 (Qiān zǎi nán féng) (1) extremely rare (idiom) (2) once in a blue moon (3) hard to encounter in a thousand years From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=842 “Hard to encounter in a thousand years” means an opportunity that only occurs once in a long time. Such an opportunity that occurs only once in a thousand years is,…
060. The Bagpipe That Made Everyone Dance
060. The Bagpipe That Made Everyone Dance (La Gaita Que Hacía Bailar A Todos) There was a man who had three sons. The two older ones were very clever and were always making fun of the youngest. One day, the father said [to himself]: Since this son of mine is good for nothing as he…
Qiān lǐ sòng é máo (千里送鵝毛 – 千里送鹅毛)
千里送鵝毛 (Qiān lǐ sòng é máo) (1) Swan feather sent from afar (idiom); (2) a trifling present with a weighty thought behind it From https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%8D%83%E9%87%8C%E9%80%81%E9%B9%85%E6%AF%9B%EF%BC%8C%E7%A4%BC%E8%BD%BB%E6%83%85%E6%84%8F%E9%87%8D/4571123 The Kingdom of Huihe was a vassal state of Tang in the reign of Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty. Once, in order to show its friendship to Tang, the…
059. The Three Pieces of Advice
059. The Three Pieces of Advice (Los Tres Consejos) Once upon a time there were two young people who got married [to one another]. Her name was Julia and his was Gonzalo, and they were both very poor. The groom slept only one night with his wife, for the day after the wedding he left…
Qiān jīn mǎi lín (千金買鄰 – 千金买邻)
千金買鄰 (Qiān jīn mǎi lín) Literally: One thousand gold taels to buy a neighbor. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there was a man named Lu Sengzhen (呂僧珍) who had lived in the Guangling (廣陵) area for several generations. As he was upright, intelligent and courageous, he was known far and wide, and was respected…
058. The Three Gifts of Pedro
058. The Three Gifts of Peter (Pedro) (Los Tres Prendas De Pedro) Once upon a time there were two brothers called Pedro and Juan, who decided to travel the world to make a living [for themselves]. They set out on their journey in this way until they saw that the road on which they had…
Qiān biàn wàn huà (千變萬化 – 千变万化)
千變萬化 (Qiān biàn wàn huà) (1) countless changes(2) constant permutation According to legend, King Mu of Zhou had eight steeds that could travel thousands of li’s in a day, and so they were deeply loved by him. He was very fond of traveling, and had once accepted the invitation of the Queen Mother Of The…
057. The Caliph, The Shepherd And Happiness
057. The Caliph, The Shepherd And Happiness (El Califa, El Pastor Y La Felicidad) One day, the caliph of Baghdad went hunting with his retinue and as bad luck would have it, his horse bolted and began running without him being able to control it. The horse ran so fast and was in such a…
Qì zhuàng shān hé (氣壯山河 – 气壮山河)
氣壯山河 (Qì zhuàng shān hé) One’s spirit is as inspiring as mountains and rivers Source: Song Dynasty, Lu You‘s “Short Sketches from the Hut of Someone Who Studies When He Is Old (老學庵筆記)”. Zhao Yuanzhen (趙元鎮) spoke against the chancellor[‘s wishes] and was banished to Zhu’ya (珠崖). When he was seriously ill, he inscribed the…