China Popular Itineraries |
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1.1 Chinese Idioms and Allusions Derived from Refined Quotations from Ancient Poems and Other Literary Works |
Like the waves washing away the sands and leaving the gold, the five-thousand years of Chinese history have refined from the Chinese language many gold-like phrases, expressions and quotations, which are generally called idioms and allusions. They, like the stars sparkling in the sky, adorn the graceful garden of Chinese language and literature, make it more charming, more beautiful and more exquisite.
In fact, in the normal Chinese dictionaries, idioms and allusions are two different concepts. Idioms are fixed phrases, expressions and sentences quoted from ancient literature works. They are concise and meaningful. Having been used for a long time, allusions, on the other hand, are expressions and phrases which have their origins in stories, quoted in ancient poems and other litera-ture works, or in other sources. But some of the idioms do not make any sense unless their origins and sources are clear, so people often regard idioms and al-lusions as the same -- comprehensive, integrated and compendious fixed ex-cessions, phrases or sentences.
The Chinese idioms and allusions originate in three basic ways.
* One day out of sight seems like three years for apart.
The expression is taken from the poem Picking the Roots of Kudzu in The Book of Poetry, a general collection of poems of ancient China.
¡°One day when thou wert out of my sight,
Seems that thou wert three years far apart."
These lines mean that, when someone is from his/her dear inti-mate friends, one day seems as long as three years.
It depicts an ardent yearning for someone.
* When Pi reaches its utmost, Tai occurs.
It means that when misfortune reaches its utmost, bliss is at hand.
Pi and Tai are two divinatory symbols in Zhou Yi, an ancient Chinese book on philosophy, mathematics and divination, etc. Pi signifies ill omen while Tai indicates auspice. The phrase implies that matters will turn in the opposite direction once they have developed to the climax.
Later it is used to mean that misfortune can transform itself into good fortune under certain circumstances.
* Press on without letup.
It is quoted from The Tenth Year of Duke Zhuang in The Biography of Zuo Qiuming, a great historian of Lu State in the Spring and Autumn Period.
"The key to winning the battle is valour. In the first round of drum-beats, the courage of the soldiers is at its highest, but in the second, it lessens, and in the third, it fades out." Its original meaning is that when a battle begins, soldiers are stimulated to the utmost, inspired by the first round of drumbeats.
Later, it is used figuratively, meaning that one should take advantage of the high enthusiasm at the beginning and press on to finish the work.
* Wailing wind and weeping rain.
It comes from The Forth Year of Duke Zhao in The Biography of Zuo Qiuming .
"Then, there was no pale sun in winter, no successive overcast days in hot summer, no wailing wind in spring and no weeping rain in autumn."
Later, people use the expression to describe the bad weather, or metaphorically, the dismal and depressing conditions.
* Having passed through the hall into the inner chamber.
It comes from On Advanced Learning in The Analects of Confucius.
Confucius said: "Why is Zhong You playing his musical instrument se in front of my door?" Confucius' students, as a result, did not respect Zhong you. "thong You has already entered into my hall, but not yet into my inner chamber, Confucius explained. The hall and the chamber, at that time, were where students were taught.
The figurative meaning of his words is that, though Zhong You played his instrument se in a vigorous tone, he could not play it so melodiously as to the point of perfection.
Later, people used the expression either to mean that learning should be step by step, or to imply that someone is accomplished in study and tech-nique.
* On entering a country, inquire about what is forbidden.
It is quoted from Volume 1 of On Exhaustive Etiquette in A Record of
Etiquette
"On your arrival in a country, inquire about what is forbidden; in a state, about what their customs; and at others' home, about the taboos. "
This means that, once in an alien country, one should obey its law.
* The bow is cast aside once the birds are gone.
It is quoted from The Aristocratic Family of Gnu Jian the King of Yue State in The Records of the Historian by Sima Qian, a great ancient Chinese historian in the Han Dynasty.
"So, Fan Li went away and sent from Qi State a letter to Senior official Wen thong, saying: 'After birds were scattered, the bows for birds' shoot-ing were kept away; after rabbits were killed, hounds were cooked. The king of Yue State is narrow-minded and bird-brained, so one can only share hard-ship with him, but not pleasure. Why haven't you left him yet?"
Literally these statements mean that, when birds fly away, the bows used to shoot them are cast aside; figuratively, they refer to the fact that em-perors and kings in the feudal society would kill the officials and generals who had dedicated remarkably to the founding of the states.
Later, people often use the bow is cast aside once the birds are gone and "hounds are cooked when rabbits are killed" to imply that those who have contributed greatly to victory will be put to death after it is won.
Mr. Unreality and Mr. Nothing.
The expression refers to things or tales which are either fake or non-exis-tent.
Once, Sima Xiangru, one of the great men of letters in the Han Dynasty, composed a prose entitled Fu to Mr. Noman, which fabricated an interaction among the so-called Mr. Unreality, Mr. Nothing and Mr. Noman.
Sima Qian once referred to it in The Collected Biographies of Sima Xi-angru in The Records of The Historian
"Mr. Sima Xiangru fabricated a Mr. Unreality, meaning unreal words, to imply the Chu State, and Mr. Nothing, meaning non-existent things, to censure Qi State, and also Mr. Noman, meaning such a man is not in exis-tence, to imply that the emperor of that time existed only in name."
Later, people referred to fabricated or fake things as "Mr. Unreality and Mr. Nothing."
* Green plums and bamboo horses.
It means that a boy and a girl grew up together from their childhood.
It is derived from the poem Singing Through the Long Lane by Li Bai in the Tang Dynasty.
"When my forehead was first covered with hair,
I was wandering about the doorway picking flowers fair;
You came, with a bamboo stick between your legs as if" horse-riding,
Around the wooden bed of plum tree we played hiding;
Growing up together from our childhood in the Long lane,
We had nothing between us to complain ."
Later, people used the expression "Green plum and bamboo horse" to de-pict the delightful scene of the innocent little boys and girls playing together in their childhood and falling in love when they grow up.
* Diligence makes a master.
It implies that the profound scholarship comes from the diligent studies. The phrase is quoted from an article entitled On Progress in Study by Han Yu in the Tang Dynasty.
"Diligence makes a master, while negligence spoils a man; independent thinking results in success, while depending on others' ideas gets one nowhere."
* Rubbish coated in gold and jade.
It is quoted from the article entitled An Orange Pedlar' s Tale by Liu Ji in the Ming Dynasty.
"Seeing them sitting in the palace, or riding on the steed, enjoying good wines and delicious food, how can one not feel awed about their majestic ap-pearance and illustrious style? But isn' t it the way rubbish is coated in gold and jade?"
Its original meaning is that though the skin of the old oranges are still glittering with golden color, their insides are already rotten like the ragged cotton wadding. Later, the expression Rubbish coated in gold and jade" is used metaphorically to satirize persons and things which are beautiful outside but ugly inside.
* Crystal-like heart kept in the jade flask -- pure and in-nocent friendship.
The phrase comes from a poem entitled On the Farewell Dinner in Hun-our of Xin Jian in Hibiscus Tavern written by Wang Changling, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty:
"Whenever your relatives and friends in Luo Yang make an inquiry about you, I will say, you left a crystal-like heart kept in the jade flask. "
Later the phrase is used to mean a person with a mind so pure as ice does not admire high positions and great wealth.
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