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…
047. The Tall Woman
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. LavalPart 2 – Myths, Traditions, Things (Mitos, Tradiciones, Casos) 047. La Mujer Larga (The Tall Woman) From the Cemetery of Paredones (in the province of Curicó, district of Vichuquén), a very tall woman emerges at midnight [everyday]. When someone approaches her, she shrinks and…
Xǔ xǔ rú shēng (栩栩如生 – 栩栩如生)
栩栩如生 (Xǔ xǔ rú shēng) (1) vivid and lifelike (idiom); true to life(2) realistic From https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/bookView.jsp?ID=684 Zhuangzi was a philosopher in the Warring States Period. He lived in a time when the people suffered from [endless] wars and the lives of human beings were as fragile as those of crickets and ants, always [teetering] in…
046. The Widow
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. LavalPart 2 – Myths, Traditions, Things (Mitos, Tradiciones, Casos) 046. The Widow (La Viuda) (The young student 17-year old D. Carlos Puccio, of Molina, told me about this story in 1911.) When they were constructing the Molina hospital, those who passed by it at…