056. The Dwarf And The Shepherd (El Enano Y El Pastor) A pastor was searching for his flock of cattle on the side of a hill when, in the middle of the path, he found a well-worn and half-broken bag. He saw it and yet was hesitated to pick it up because of how old…
Author: nlt
Qǐ rén yōu tiān (杞人憂天 – 杞人忧天)
杞人憂天 (Qǐ rén yōu tiān) Lit. man of Qǐ fears the sky falling; groundless fears From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=37 There is a story in Liezi – Heaven’s Gifts (列子 – 天瑞): Once upon a time, there was a man from the State of Qi (杞國) who worried all day long that the sky would collapse and the…
055. The Bird Of Diamonds
055. The Bird Of Diamonds (El Pájaro De Los Diamantes) There were two friends who were both jewelers, but as it happened, one of them had his luck turned against him and lost everything that he had. [Being] In such a situation, he went to see his friend to see if he could help him…
Pò fǔ chén zhōu (破釜沉舟 – 破釜沉舟)
破釜沉舟 (Pò fǔ chén zhōu) (1) lit. to break the cauldrons and sink the boats (idiom); fig. to cut off one’s means of retreat (2) to burn one’s boats (3) doing things decisively and without hesitation From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=5598 According to the “Records of the Grand Historian – Volume 7 – Biography of Xiang Yu“, in…
054. Thumbelino
054. Thumbelino (Pulgarcito) A couple had seven sons, and the youngest among them was as small as a thumb, and so they called him Thumbelino. They lived near a forest, yet they had nothing to eat because they were as poor as rats and hunger visited them day and night without fail. The father was…
Pī jīng zhǎn jí (披荊斬棘 – 披荆斩棘)
披荊斬棘 (Pī jīng zhǎn jí) (1) lit. to cut one’s way through thistles and thorns (idiom)(2) fig. to overcome all obstacles on the way(3) to break through hardships(4) to blaze a new trail From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=949 According to “Book of the Later Han – Volume 17 – Biographies of Feng (Yi), Cen (Peng, 岑彭), Jia (Fu,…
053. Stone Of Pain And Knife Of Love
053. Stone Of Pain And Knife Of Love (Piedra de Dolor Y Cuchillo de Amor) There was a very beautiful princess whom the devil was courting, but the princess spurned his advance. From then on, the devil searched for a way to take revenge on her refusal. One day when he was prowling about the…
Pǐ fū zhī yǒng (匹夫之勇 – 匹夫之勇)
匹夫之勇 (Pǐ fū zhī yǒng) Lit. the valor of an ordinary (coarse) man According to “Guoyu – Discourses of Yue (越語), Upper Chapter”, in the Spring and Autumn Period, the King of Yue, Goujian, was defeated by the King of Wu, Fuchai, and was imprisoned in the State of Wu for three years, [thus] having…
052. The Marble Statue
052. The Marble Statue (La Estatua De Mármol) A woman had a grown son who decided to do nothing in life, and so he remained in his mother’s house, loafing around and wasting his time. The mother insisted to him that he had to learn a trade, but the young man refused to learn any…
Nèi zhù zhī xián (內助之賢 – 内助之贤)
內助之賢 (Nèi zhù zhī xián) Lit. A Virtuous Spouse (Wife) Yan Ying was the chancellor of Duke Jing of Qi in the Spring and Autumn Period. He was of short stature, being less than six chi tall (equivalent to four feet three inches in modern measurements). However, he was very talented and was well known…