勢如破竹 (Shì rú pò zhú) (1) like a hot knife through butter (idiom) (2) with irresistible force (3) Lit. Like The Knife’s Momentum in Splitting Bamboos From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=24 According to the “Book of Jin – Volume Thirty Four – Biography of Du Yu“, Du Yu was a famous general of the Western Jin Dynasty. He…
010. The Seven Blind Women
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval Part 1 – Magnificent Stories, Stories of Animals, Anecdotes (Cuentos maravillosos, Cuentos de animales, Anécdotas) 010. The Seven Blind Women (Las Siete Ciegas) (Retold by 12-year old Luis Smith in 1910) In a faraway country there was a very evil King who took…
Shuǐ shēn huǒ rè (水深火熱 – 水深火热)
水深火熱 (Shuǐ shēn huǒ rè) (1) deep water and scorching fire(2) abyss of suffering (idiom) From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=110 During the Warring States Period, the State of Yan was in turmoil, and the State of Qi took this opportunity to attack Yan. Yan’s border troops did not resist and were soundly defeated. At this time, there were…
009. The Huachita Lamb
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval Part 1 – Magnificent Stories, Stories of Animals, Anecdotes (Cuentos maravillosos, Cuentos de animales, Anécdotas) 009. The Orphaned Lamb (La Huachita Cordera) [Nguyen: I think huachita is another form of “guacho”, which translates to “orphan” in English: https://www.spanishdict.com/translate/huacho, or https://dle.rae.es/guacho?m=form.] (Referred by 14-year…
Shuǐ luò shí chū (水落石出 – 水落石出)
水落石出 (Shuǐ luò shí chū) (1) as the water recedes, the rocks appear (idiom)(2) the truth comes to light From https://baike.baidu.hk/item/%E6%B0%B4%E8%90%BD%E7%9F%B3%E5%87%BA/6285 Emperor Shenzong of Song adopted Wang Anshi‘s reforms during his reign, and as Su Shi did not agree with the new policies, he debated with Wang Anshi about these matters. At that time, Emperor…
008. The Body Without Soul
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval Part 1 – Magnificent Stories, Stories of Animals, Anecdotes (Cuentos maravillosos, Cuentos de animales, Anécdotas) 008. The Body Without Soul (El Cuerpo Sin Alma) (Referred to in 1912 by 50-year old Beatriz Montecinos from Talca) Know to tell and tell to know. There…
Shì bié sān rì (士別三日 – 士別三日)
士別三日 (Shì bié sān rì) Lit. When scholars meet again after three days, [they would rub their eyes and see one another in a different light]. Fig. To see a person in a different light, especially after the person has made remarkable improvement. From https://baike.baidu.hk/item/%E5%A3%AB%E5%88%A5%E4%B8%89%E6%97%A5/603608 Records of the Three Kingdoms – Book of Wu –…
007. The King Has A Little Something
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval Part 1 – Magnificent Stories, Stories of Animals, Anecdotes (Cuentos maravillosos, Cuentos de animales, Anécdotas) 007. The King Has A Little Something (El Rey Tiene Cachito) (Told by the Priest Don Osvaldo Martínez, of Santiago, in 1912) There was a king who fell…
Shàng xíng xià xiào (上行下傚 – 上行下效)
上行下傚 (Shàng xíng xià xiào) Subordinates follow the example of their superiors From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=440 In the Garden of Stories (說苑) compiled by Liu Xiang in the Han Dynasty, the chapter “Way of Kings (君道)” happened to contain a relevant anecdote that we can use for reference here. In the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Jing…
006. The Tortilla or The Enchanted Canary
Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. LavalPart 1 – Magnificent Stories, Stories of Animals, Anecdotes (Cuentos maravillosos, Cuentos de animales, Anécdotas) 006. The Tortilla or The Enchanted Canary (La Tortilla o El Canarito Encantado) (Referred to by Mr. Osvaldo Martínez, a Priest, from Santiago, in 1912) There was a King who…