各得其所 (Gè dé qí suǒ) (1) each in the correct place (2) each is provided for Source: “The Book of Changes (I Ching) – Latter Set of Commentaries” (易·繫辭下). Made the deal and left, each got what he wanted (交易而退，各得其所). Explanation: this means that each person or each thing has been properly arranged for and…
Author: nlt
018. The Strip of Skin
018. The Strip of Skin (La Tira De Piel) A man had two sons, one of eighteen years old and the other sixteen. One day, the younger one said to his father: [Father,] I want to leave home to [go] look for a position as a servant. The father consented and the boy went [away]…
Gāo zhěn wú yōu (高枕無憂 – 高枕无忧)
高枕無憂 (Gāo zhěn wú yōu) (1) Lit. to rest one’s head high on a pillow without any worries (2) to sleep peacefully (idiom); (fig.) to rest easy; to be free of worries In the Warring States Period, there was a man called Mengchang Jun (lit. Lord Mengchang) from the State of Qi. He had three…
SUP – 2022/10/01 – Elkhorn Slough From Kirby Park
If I live in the South Bay or closer to Santa Cruz / Monterey, I’d visit this magical place much more often. But since it takes an almost 2-hour drive to get here from where I am now, I’d have to plan carefully and am only making this trip for the first, and possibly the…
017. The Castle Of No Return
017. The Castle Of No Return (El Castillo De Irás Y No Volverás) [Nguyen: a more literal translation of this title would be: The Castle Where You’d Go But Will Not Return.] Once upon a time there was a fisherman who went to sea everyday in a small boat [to search for food] to feed…
Gāo shān liú shuǐ (高山流水 – 高山流水)
高山流水 (Gāo shān liú shuǐ) (0) lit. high mountain and flowing stream (1) fig. intimate and understanding friend (2) sublime musical composition In the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a man named Yu Boya, who was well-versed in the musical arts, had excellent guqin skill, and was a famous guqin master at the time….
SUP – 2022/09/24 – Napa River From Kennedy Park
It had been a while since I was last in Napa Valley, so I thought it’d be fun to paddle by downtown and beyond, exploring the upper stretches of the Napa River past the Oxbow Preserve which I reached the last time I paddled the river. Plus there was a $5/bag book sale at the…
016. The Sweet Doll
016. The Sweet Doll (La Muñeca De Dulce) Once upon a time there was a king who had only one daughter. The monarchs and the princess used to take walks around the palace almost every afternoon, and in one of those strolls they ran into a gypsy woman who offered to read the princess her…
Gǎn ēn tú bào (感恩圖報 – 感恩图报)
感恩圖報 (Gǎn ēn tú bào) – Being grateful and seeking to repay the kindness In the Spring and Autumn Period, the general Wu Zixu from the State of Wu led troops to attack the State of Zheng. The ruler of of Zheng, Duke Ding (鄭定公), said: “Whoever can make Wu Zixu turn back and not…
SUP – 2022/09/17 – Shoreline Cleanup On Stand Up
September 17th was Shoreline Cleanup Day across the SF Bay Area. The idea is simple: there’s a lot of trash on our beaches, in our estuaries, along our shorelines, etc. and to give wildlife a chance we’d need to help pick up and put some of that away. There were multiple volunteer sites through out…