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…
Author: nlt
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…
056. The Dwarf And The Shepherd
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…
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…