不入虎穴, 不得虎子 (Bù rù hǔ xué , bù dé hǔ zǐ) Meaning: (1) How do you catch the tiger cub without entering the tiger’s lair? (idiom); (2) Nothing ventured, nothing gained. [Note: As the site that I usually take these idioms from has some typos and missing words for this particular story, I read from…
Author: nlt
101. The Cursed Inn
101. The Cursed Inn (La Posada Encantada) Once upon a time there was a little girl who lived in an inn by the road. The girl was very, very curious. She pried into everything, and everything caught her attention. One day some Moors arrived at the inn [and] they came with carts loaded with large…
Bù qū bù náo (不屈不撓 – 不屈不挠)
不屈不撓 (Bù qū bù náo) Meaning: unyielding; indomitable Explanation: “撓”, to bend, to yield. It describes not yielding to evil forces nor bowing out [in the face of] great difficulties. Story: Wang Shang (王商), courtesy name Ziwei (子威), inherited his father’s title as the Marquis of Lelu (樂呂侯). He was the prime minister under Emperor…
099. The Three Friends
099. The Three Friends (Los Tres Amigos) [Note: This is my second attempt at translating this story. My first was inadvertently overwritten a few minutes before publishing =( I’m reminding myself to never use ‘Ctrl-Z’ prior to publishing…. And this happened on one of the longest stories I’ve translated thus far too!] Once there were…
Bù kě tóng rì ér yǔ (不可同日而語 – 不可同日而语)
不可同日而語 (Bù kě tóng rì ér yǔ) (1) lit. mustn’t speak of two things on the same day (idiom); not to be mentioned in the same breath(2) incomparable Explanation: Something that cannot be discussed / considered at the same time. It is used to describe two things which have a large gap between them, so…
100. Six Friends With Superhero Powers
100. Six Friends With Superhero Powers (Seis Amigos de Novedades) In a small village surrounded by meadows, in a valley [situated] between mountains, there lived a Hunter who was reputed to be very skilled. He was not known for any skill worthy of mention, save for that of hunting. In the game of skittles he…
Bù hé shí yí (不合時宜 – 不合时宜)
不合時宜 (Bù hé shí yí) (1) untimely; (2) premature; (3) inopportune; (4) ill-timed; (5) out of fashion; (6) behind the times Emperor Ai of Han, Liu Xin, was the adopted son of Emperor Cheng of Han. He became emperor at the age of twenty, declaring the name of his era date as Jianping (建平, lit….
098. News From Heaven
098. News From Heaven (Noticias del Cielo) A woman who had twice married was approached one day by a lame beggar asking her to give him something. The woman, who was eager to talk, asked him where he was from. The beggar, being encouraged to see what he could get from that house, told her:…
Bù hán ér lì (不寒而栗 – 不寒而栗)
不寒而栗 (Bù hán ér lì) (1) shiver all over though not cold(2) tremble with fear(3) shudder In the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, there was a man named Yi Zong (義縱), who was made a county magistrate of Shangdang due to the good grace of the Queen Dowager. After taking office, he handled his…
097. The Girl with Golden Hair
097. The Girl with Golden Hair (La Niña de Los Cabellos de Oro) A woman once went to the mountains to collect firewood, [where] she searched for branches that had broken off from trees, and cut and bundled them together to carry them home. And she was at this task when a giant appeared and…