Idiom+and+Chinese+Allegories

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伯乐是一位著名的相马师，他写了一本叫《相马经》的书来教别人区分马的好坏. 书上写着：良马有高高的额头，鼓起的眼睛，马蹄是圆圆的. 一天，他的儿子按着《相马经》经上写的出去找好马. 过了一会儿，他拿着一只癞蛤蟆回来了，对他的父亲说：“我找到了一匹马，大致跟你书上的一个模样，只是眼睛鼓得不够，蹄子也不是圆圆的. ” 伯乐哭笑不得，开玩笑地说：“这匹马喜欢跳，但是不能骑啊. 你这是照着图画找马. ” 这个成语就来自伯乐的话，指机械地按着教条办事.

索 look for 骥 a thoroughbred horse 区分 distinguish 机械地 mechanically 教条 doctrine 哭笑不得 find something both funny and annoying

Look for a noble steed according to its picture

Bo Le was a famous horse-judging master. He wrote a book titled Xiang Ma Jing (classics of how to judge a horse) to tell people the way of recognizing good horses. It writes, "A good horse is with wide forehead, bulging eyes and round hoofs." One day, the son of Bo Le went out to look for a good horse according to the description in the book. After a while, he came back, bringing with him a toad. He told his father, "I have found a horse similar to your picture but its eyes are not bulging enough and hoofs not round." Bo Le did not know whether to laugh or to cry at this. He kidded his son, "This horse is good at jumping instead of being ridden. What you've done is to look for a horse according to the picture." From what Bo Le said we draw the idiom, depicting those who work mechanically or try to locate something by following up a clue.

=**kāitiānpìdì 开 天 辟 地 **=

Chuánshuō yuángǔ shíhou, tiān hé dì shì hé zài yì qǐ de, jiù xiàng yí gè jīdàn shì 传说远古时候，天和地是合在一起的，就像一个鸡蛋似 de. Shìjiè de kāichuàng rén Pán Gǔ jiù shì zài zhège jīdàn zhōng shēnghuó 的. 世界的开创人盘古就是在这个鸡蛋中生活 zhǎngdà de, jīngguò màncháng de yí wàn bā qiān nián, Pán Gǔ zài jīdàn zhōng 长大的，经过漫长的一万八千年，盘古在鸡蛋中 Kāishǐ kāitiānpīdì. Jiéguǒ, dàn qīng shàngshēng chéngwéi tiān, dànhuáng 开始开天劈地. 结果，蛋清上升成为天，蛋黄 xiàchén chéngwéi dì. Pán Gǔ dǐngtiānlìdì, tā búduàn zhǎnggāo, tiān hé dì yě bú 下沉成为地. 盘古顶天立地，他不断长高，天和地也不 duàn fēnkāi, zhè yàng yòu guò le yī wàn bā qiān nián, tiān zhōngyú shēng de 断分开，这样又过了一万八千年，天终于升得 hěngāo, dì yě biàn dé hěnhòu, Pán Gǔ kàn dào zìjǐ kāitiānpìdì de rènwù yǐjīng 很高，地也变得很厚，盘古看到自己开天辟地的任务已经 wánchéng, biàn lì jié dǎo dì ér sǐ. 完成，便力竭倒地而死. English Translation This is a Chinese legend about the creation of the world. In ancient times, the sky and the earth were combined just like an egg. The founder of the world, Pan Gu, lived and grew up in the egg. After 18 thousand years, he began to separate the sky and the earth, so the egg white became the sky and the egg yolk became the earth. After another 18 thousand years, the sky and the earth were separated completely. Seeing that his mission was finished, Pan Gu died of exhaustion. Now people usually use the idiom to describe something advancing with giant strides.

**高山流水** 春秋时代，有个叫俞伯牙的人，精通音律，琴艺高超，是当时著名的琴师. 俞伯牙年轻的时候聪颖好学，曾拜高人为师，琴技达到水平，但他总觉得自己还不能出神入化地表现对各种事物的感受. 伯牙的老师知道他的想法后，就带他乘船到东海的蓬莱岛上，让他欣赏大自然的景色，倾听大海的波涛声. 伯牙举目眺望，只见波浪汹涌，浪花激溅；海鸟翻飞，鸣声入耳；山林树木，郁郁葱葱，如入仙境一般. 一种奇妙的感觉油然而生，耳边仿佛咯起了大自然那和谐动听的音乐. 他情不自禁地取琴弹奏，音随意转，把大自然的美妙融进了琴声，伯牙体验到一种前所未有的境界. 老师告诉他：“你已经学了. ” 一夜伯牙乘船游览. 面对清风明月，他思绪万千，于是又弹起琴来，琴声悠扬，渐入佳境. 忽听岸上有人叫绝. 伯牙闻声走出船来，只见一个樵夫站在岸边，他知道此人是知音当即请樵夫上船，兴致勃勃地为他演奏. 伯牙弹起赞美高山的曲调，樵夫说道：“真好！雄伟而庄重，好像高耸入云的泰山一样！”当他弹奏表现奔腾澎湃的波涛时，樵夫又说：“真好！宽广浩荡，好像看见滚滚的流水，无边的大海一般！”伯牙兴奋色了，激动地说：“知音！你真是我的知音. ”这个樵夫就是钟子期. 从此二人成了非常要好的朋友. 故事出自《列子·汤问》. 成语“高山流水”，比喻知己或知音，也比喻音乐优美. During the Spring and Autumn Period（770-476B.C.）.there was a man whose name was Yu Boya.Yu boya was a famous music master at that time, having a good command of the temperament and had superb skills in playing musical instruments. He was bright and eager to learn when he was young. He had formally acknowledged several experts as his teachers,and his skills in playing the musical instrument had already reached a fairly high level. But he still felt that he could not superbly express the various things which had deeply impressed him. Knowing what was in his mind,his teacher took him to the penglai Island,a fabled abode of immortals,on the East China Sea by boat. On the island,his teacher let him enjoy the natural scenarios and listen to the roaring of the great waves, looking into the distance,Boya saw that the waves were turbulent and that the white breakers leapt skywards.Sea birds were circling in the air,and their crying was very pleasant to the ear.Trees were green and intriguing feeling welled up in his mind,as if he had heard the harmonious music of nature. He couldn't help taking his musical instrument and playing it .He followed his inclinations while he was playing,and incorporated the beautiful nature with his music,thus reaching a realm of thought he had never experienced before. Seeing this,the teacher said to hime,''You have mastered the art of playing." On the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, he went sight-seeing.The moon was bright and there was a gentle, cool breeze. With myriads of thoughts welling up in his mind,he began to play the musical instrument.The melodious music became more and more beautiful when a man on the bank shouted "bravo!"Hearing the shouting,Boya came out of the boat,and saw a woodcutter standing on the bank.He knew that this man was keenly appreciative of his talents,because he understood his music.He immediately invited the woodcutter to his boat and ,full of zest,he played the musical instrument for him.When Boya played a piece of music eulogizing the high mountains,the woodcutter said,"wonderful!The melody is as magnificent and dignified as Mount Tai which reaches to the sky!"When he played a piece of music depicting the turbulent waves,the woodcutter said,"Wonderful!The melody is as vast and mighty as the great rivers!"The woodcutter's name was Zhong Ziqi and they have since been very good friends. This story appears in The Works of Lie Zi. From this story,people have derived the set phrase"high mountain and running water" to refer to understanding and appreciative friends.This set phrase is also used to refer to melodious music.

乐羊子听了妻子的话，觉得很惭愧，就把那块金子又扔到原来的地方. 第二年，乐羊子离开家到了一个很远的地方，去拜师求学. 一年后，乐羊子突然回到家中，他的妻子很惊讶地问：“你怎么回来了？你才和那些学者学了一年呀. ”乐羊子说：“我太想你了，所以回来看看. ” 他的妻子听了以后，二话不说，拿起把剪刀走到她的织布机前. 她指着那块已经完成了一半的锦缎说：“这块锦缎用的是最好的丝. 我一丝丝的累积来织成这锦缎. 如果我现在把它剪断，就等于前功尽弃. 你求学也是这样. 如果现在停止，和剪断织布机上的锦缎有什么区别？” 乐羊子被妻子的话所感动，于是立刻离开家，继续拜师求学. 几年后，乐羊子终于完成学业，成为一个博学的人. || Yue Yangzi, feeling ashamed, sent the gold back to where he found it. The next year, Yue Yangzi felt that he should go out and visit scholars to enrich his knowledge. So he set off. A year later, he came back home suddenly. "Why have you returned?" asked his wife in surprise, "You've only spent one year studying with scholars." "I come back because I missed you very much." Without saying anything, his wife took a pair of scissors and went to the loom at which she had worked. Pointing at the half done brocade, she proclaimed : "This brocade is woven from the finest silk. I wove one strand after another to produce the brocade.Now if I cut it, all my previous work will be wasted. It's the same with your studies. You can acquire knowledge only through diligence. Now, you've stopped halfway. Isn't it the same as cutting the brocade on the loom?" Yue Yangzi was moved by what she said. He again left home to visit scholars. Several years later he became a learned man. ||
 * 半途而废 ||
 * 战国时期，魏国有个叫乐羊子的人. 有一天，乐羊子在路上看到一块金子，他就捡起金子，带回了家并把它拿给妻子看. 可他妻子一点儿也不高兴. 这个贤惠的女人对他说：“我听人说‘壮士不饮盗泉之水；廉洁的人不食嗟来之食’. 把别人遗失的贵重之物捡起来据为己有，你怎么看待这种行为呢？”
 * || 捡 pick up || 贤惠 virtuous || 廉洁 probity ||
 * 惭愧 ashamed || 剪刀 scissor || 锦缎 brocade ||  ||
 * Give up halfway ||
 * During the Warring States Period (475-221BC), there was a man called Yue Yangzi in State Yue. One day he saw a piece of gold on the road and picked it up. He took it home and gave it to his wife. But his wife was not happy. The virtuous woman said, "I hear that a man of morality doesn't drink a thief's water and a man of probity refuses to accept alms. What do you think of the action of picking up another's lost valuable and possessing it for one's own?"

//guā tián lǐ xià//
 * 瓜田李下**

This literally means melon field, under the plums. It is an idiom that has a deeper meaning that implies suspicious situations. It is derived from an excerpt from a poem from the Han Dynasty. The poem contains two phrases "瓜田不納履，李下不整冠"`. which describe a code of conduct that says "Don't adjust your shoes in a melon field and don't tidy your hat under the plum trees" in order to avoid suspicion of stealing. The literal meaning of the idiom is impossible to understand without the background knowledge of the origin of the phrase. media type="youtube" key="w_VHbd5EpC8" height="344" width="425"

**守株待兔** (shǒu zhū dài tù - literally "guard tree wait rabbit" ) You´re waiting for a rabbit.
 * Meaning:** Foolishly waiting for a most unlikely windfall instead of doing any work.

Long, long ago, on a hot summer day, a farmer was weeding a field with a hoe. Suddenly a hare scurried by and bumped into the trunk of a tree. The poor animal broke his neck and died instantly. The farmer stopped hoeing and picked up the dead hare. He was overjoyed at the unexpected gain. He took the hare back home, cooked it and had a nice dinner. As he ate his supper, he thought to himself, "How wonderful! Game comes to me so easily! I'm tired of farming in the hot sun. I have to work hard until autumn before I can reap the crops. Back-breaking work, humph! Why don't I just sit under the tree and wait for more hares to run into the trunk!" The next day, the farmer threw his hoe into the storeroom and went back to the field. He sat under the tree, indulging himself in the fantasy that he would get another hare. He waited and waited. "Where on earth are the hares?" But his patience did not help. Many days passed but nothing happened. No more hares ran into the trunk. His field was soon overgrown with weeds. Who knows what he would live on next year if he kept sitting by the tree and doing nothing else?!…………

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