Chinese Idioms and Their Stories

作品简介

This collection of one hundred Chinese idioms details the stories behind each one and offers a humorous and fascinating insight into the cultural history of China. From paper tigers to praying mantis, to the music of nature and heavenly robes, these tales have not only shed light on the traditional Chinese way of thinking, but also illustrated many of its ancient customs.

ZHANG Ciyun (Peter) born in Shanghai in 1949, graduated from Jilin Normal University, PRC with a major in English and later from Stanford University in the United States with a Master’s Degree in Journalism. Since 1980, he has had extensive experience working in different news agencies in the PRC. Also, he worked in the General Office of the Ministry of Communications as an interpreter and the Information Office of Shanghai Municipality as its Deputy General Director.

作品目录

• Introduction
• 按图索骥 (àn tú suǒ jì) A winged steed
• 百步穿杨 (bǎi bù chuān yáng) Shooting a willow leaf
• 班门弄斧 (bān mén nòng fǔ) Respecting rank
• 别开生面 (bié kāi shēng miàn) Drawing new faces
• 兵不厌诈 (bīng bú yàn zhà) Nothing is too deceitful in war
• 博士买驴 (bó shì mǎi lǘ) A donkey receipt
• 跛鳖千里 (bǒ biē qiān lǐ) A lame tortoise triumphs at last
• 沧海桑田 (cāng hǎi sāng tián) Forever changing
• 城门失火 (chéng mén shī huǒ) City gate on fire
• 重蹈覆辙 (chóng dǎo fù zhé) Following the track
• 唇亡齿寒 (chún wáng chǐ hán) Lips and teeth
• 从善如流 (cóng shàn rú liú) Following good advice
• 得陇望蜀 (dé lǒng wàng shǔ) Insatiable desire
• 东施效颦 (dōng shī xiào pín) Imitating beauty
• 对牛弹琴 (duì niú tán qín) Lute before cattle
• 釜底抽薪 (fǔ dǐ chōu xīn) Removing burning firewood from beneath a boiling pot
• 覆水难收 (fù shuǐ nán shōu) Spilt water lost
• 高山流水 (gāo shān liú shuǐ) Finding source of inspiration
• 狗尾续貂 (gǒu wěi xù diāo) Wagging the dog
• 邯郸学步 (hán dān xué bù) Learning to walk
• 画虎类犬 (huà hǔ lèi quǎn) Be tiger or dog
• 画龙点睛 (huà lóng diǎn jīng) Eyes of the dragon
• 画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú) The feet too far
• 鸡犬升天 (jī quǎn shēng tiān) Relative power
• 狡兔三窟 (jiǎo tù sān kū) The wily hare
• 金城汤池 (jīn chéng tāng chí) Fortress tactics
• 锦囊妙计 (jǐn náng miào jì) A pouch of ploys
• 近水楼台 (jìn shuǐ lóu tái) Waterfront towers
• 举棋不定 (jǔ qí bú dìng) Two minds’ folly
• 刻舟求剑 (kè zhōu qiú jiàn) A lost sword
• 困兽犹斗 (kùn shòu yóu dòu) Like a cornered animal
• 滥竽充数 (làn yú chōng shù) Playing off-key
• 老马识途 (lǎo mǎ shí tú) Trust an old horse
• 老生常谈 (lǎo shēng cháng tán) A mere platitude
• 乐不思蜀 (lè bù sī shǔ) Forgetting one’s home
• 梁上君子 (liáng shàng jūn zǐ) Gentleman on the beam
• 两袖清风 (liǎng xiù qīng fēng) Clean hands
• 鹿死谁手 (lù sǐ shuí shǒu) Who will take the deer?
• 洛阳纸贵 (luò yáng zhǐ guì) Paper price soars
• 满城风雨 (mǎn chéng fēng yǔ) Tempest in a line
• 毛遂自荐 (máo suì zì jiàn) Promote yourself in due modesty
• 门庭若市 (mén tíng ruò shì) Crowded courtyard
• 模棱两可 (mó léng liǎng kě) Pleasing both sides the best way to survive
• 鸟尽弓藏 (niǎo jìn gōng cáng) When birds are gone
• 抛砖引玉 (pāo zhuān yǐn yù) Ploys to collect gems
• 破釜沉舟 (pò fǔ chén zhōu) The no-way-out order
• 旗鼓相当 (qí gǔ xiāng dāng) Uniting flags, drums
• 骑虎难下 (qí hǔ nán xià) Plight of riding a tiger
• 歧路亡羊 (qí lù wáng yáng) Pick a path and stay on course
• 杞人忧天 (qǐ rén yōu tiān) Easing anxious states
• 千万买邻 (qiān wàn mǎi lín) True value of neighbors
• 黔驴技穷 (qián lǘ jì qióng) The Guizhou donkey
• 强弩之末 (qiáng nǔ zhī mò) A powerful crossbow
• 青云直上 (qīng yún zhí shàng) Meteoric rise in rank
• 请君入瓮 (qǐng jūn rù wèng) Torture by own design
• 罄竹难书 (qìng zhú nán shū) Not enough bamboo
• 人杰地灵 (rén jié dì líng) Inspiring greatness
• 塞翁失马 (sài wēng shī mǎ) Relativity of hidden values
• 三顾茅庐 (sān gù máo lú) Three calls at the thatched cottage
• 三人成虎 (sān rén chéng hǔ) Lies turning into truths
• 死灰复燃 (sǐ huī fù rán) Dying ashes flare up
• 四面楚歌 (sì miàn chǔ gē) Mournful songs
• 守口如瓶 (shǒu kǒu rú píng) Tight-lipped counsel
• 守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù) Hare-brained
• 水滴石穿 (shuǐ dī shí chuān) Art of water torture
• 水深火热 (shuǐ shēn huǒ rè) Water or fire option
• 太公钓鱼 (tài gōng diào yú) Fishing hookless
• 贪生怕死 (tān shēng pà sǐ) Imperial indulgences
• 螳臂当车 (táng bì dǎng chē) The praying mantis
• 螳螂捕蝉 (táng láng bǔ chán) Wasted warnings
• 天罗地网 (tiān luó dì wǎng) Dragnet of deception
• 天衣无缝 (tiān yī wú fèng) The heavenly dress
• 铁杵成针 (tiě chǔ chéng zhēn) Li needled into action
• 投鼠忌器 (tóu shǔ jì qì) Spare a rat for a vase
• 完璧归赵 (wán bì guī zhào) Defending the stone
• 玩物丧志 (wán wù sàng zhì) Folly of the senses
• 亡羊补牢 (wáng yáng bǔ láo) Never too late to fix
• 望梅止渴 (wàng méi zhǐ kě) The power of illusions
• 危如累卵 (wēi rú lěi luǎn) An eggy tale of risk
• 味如鸡肋 (wèi rú jī lèi) Chicken ribs maneuver
• 未雨绸缪 (wèi yǔ chóu móu) Duke’s poetic advice
• 卧薪尝胆 (wò xīn cháng dǎn) Biding time for revenge
• 物以类聚 (wù yǐ lèi jù) Birds of a feather
• 相煎太急 (xiāng jiān tài jí) From brotherly beans
• 胸有成竹 (xiōng yǒu chéng zhú) Life lesson from artist
• 悬梁刺股 (xuán liáng cì gǔ) Studies can be painful
• 掩耳盗铃 (yǎn ěr dào líng) Stealing a bell
• 叶公好龙 (yè gōng hào lóng) A dragon passion
• 一鸣惊人 (yī míng jīng rén) The first sweet song
• 一诺千金 (yī nuò qiān jīn) Worth weight in gold
• 一丘之貉 (yī qiū zhī hé) Outspoken to death
• 一叶障目 (yī yè zhàng mù) Leaf of sad illusion
• 饮鸩止渴 (yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě) Poisoned wine relief
• 游刃有余 (yóu rèn yǒu yú) Master of his cleaver
• 愚公移山 (yú gōng yí shān) Moving mountains
• 鹬蚌相争 (yù bàng xiāng zhēng) Third party thinking
• 越俎代庖 (yuè zǔ dài páo) Stay out of the kitchen
• 自相矛盾 (zì xiāng máo dùn) Spear and shield
• 朝三暮四 (zhāo sān mù sì) Monkeying around
• 纵虎归山 (zòng hǔ guī shān) Setting the tiger free