From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. LavalPart 2 – Myths, Traditions, Things (Mitos, Tradiciones, Casos) 052. The Enchanted Pear Tree (El Peral Encantado) In Paredones, the province of Curicó, there is a pear tree which catches fire at midnight. No one can go near it while on horseback, because the…
Yī bài tú dì (一敗塗地 – 一败涂地)
一敗塗地 (Yī bài tú dì) (1) failed and wiped over the floor (idiom); to fail utterly(2) a crushing defeat(3) beaten and in a hopeless position From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=19 SourceWestern Han – Sima Qian‘s “Record of the Grand Historian – Gaozu‘s Biography”: The world is in turmoil and warlords have risen up. If we appoint an incapable…
051. The Tiger Man
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. LavalPart 2 – Myths, Traditions, Things (Mitos, Tradiciones, Casos) 051. The Tiger Man (El Hombre Tigre) (D. Francisco Vásquez, 1911.) On the road of Callejones (in the same Cordillera Region, but my informant does not know in which province), a tiger came out to…
Yǒu bèi wú huàn (有備無患 – 有备无患)
有備無患 (Yǒu bèi wú huàn) (1) Preparedness averts peril(2) to be prepared, just in case (idiom)(3) One has no worries if one’s prepared From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=141 “Being prepared and having no worries” means that by being prepared in advance one can avoid disasters from happening. It is generally believed that this idiom originates from the “Book…
050. The Old Goat
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. LavalPart 2 – Myths, Traditions, Things (Mitos, Tradiciones, Casos) 050. The Old Goat (El Cabro Viejo) (D. Francisco Vásquez, 1911.)In Cordillera lives a being that is half man (a bearded old man) and half goat. He only goes out at night, and if someone…
Yànzi shǐ chǔ (晏子使楚 – 晏子使楚)
晏子使楚 (Yànzi shǐ chǔ) Lit. Yanzi visits Chu as an envoy From link. (I)Yanzi went on a diplomatic mission to the State of Chu. The King of Chu knew that Yanzi was short in stature, so he opened a five-chi hole next to the main gate and invited Yanzi to enter [the city] through it….
049. The Cuca
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. LavalPart 2 – Myths, Traditions, Things (Mitos, Tradiciones, Casos) 049. La Cuca (The Cuca) (D. Francisco Vásquez, 1911.)An old lady who lived in Cordillera Province told this story to the grandmother of the boy Vásquez, who [in turn] told me this and many other…
Yǎn ěr dào líng (掩耳盜鈴 – 掩耳盗铃)
掩耳盜鈴 (Yǎn ěr dào líng) (1) lit. to cover one’s ears whilst stealing a bell(2) to deceive oneself(3) to bury one’s head in the sand (idiom) From https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E6%8E%A9%E8%80%B3%E7%9B%9C%E9%88%B4 There is a story in “Master Lü’s Spring and Autumn Annals – Knowing Oneself”: after the Fan family (范氏), one of the six noble families from the…
048. The Piguchen
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. LavalPart 2 – Myths, Traditions, Things (Mitos, Tradiciones, Casos) 048. The Piguchen (El Piguchen) (D. Francisco Vásquez, 1911.) The Piguchén is a very old culebrón, about half a meter long and covered in bristles (needles); it is black and has wings. It lives in…
Xiǎo shí liǎo liǎo (小時了了 – 小時了了)
小時了了 (Xiǎo shí liǎo liǎo) Lit. Such and such at an early ageFig. Being bright at an early age does not necessarily bring success upon growing up From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=1058 According to A New Account of the Tales of the World, when Kong Rong was ten years old, he accompanied his father to Luoyang and wanted…