Chinese Idiom

Chinese idiom (Zhōngguó chéngyǔ 中国成语) is one of the priceless legacies deeply

rooted in traditional culture, making Chinese language more powerful, more functional and thus, more fascinating. Since each of the idioms is the precious fruit of repeating hammer-harden through history, they all bear extremely profound implications in them. As we know from our own mother tongue, for many cases, behind idioms, there are stories and histories. Some of them are universal, which

means you can understand them easily as the ideas are shared by many culture ，

while others are more exclusive to particular cultures.

As the quintessence of the Chinese language , Chinese idioms ( 中国成语）should be

focused on during learning. These idioms are transferred early down from the Chinese ancestors and have been used for thousands of years. There are many stories arising these idioms. Many of them were from the ancient Spring and Autumn Period. When you learn the idioms, you can learn the Chinese history, too.

For example:

发奋图强 fāfèn túqiáng — to decide to do well , to be determined to make strong

effort ( 发奋 to work energetically， 图强 to attempt to strive, to be strong )

阿谀逢迎 ē yú fèng yíng — to flatter , toady ( 阿谀 to flatter, 逢迎 to pander to, play

up to ).

德高望重 dégāo wàngzhòng — to be venerable, noble or high prestige, 德 dé ( morals

or virtue ) , 高 gāo ( high ) , 望 wàng (reputation), 重 zhòng ( heavy , highly ) . It is

used to describe those seniors who are venerable, moral and respectful.

才疏学浅 cáishū xuéqiǎn — to have little talent and less learning . 才 cái ( talent ,

ability ), 疏 shū( lack , scanty ), 学 xué( knowledge, learning ), 浅 qiǎn ( shallow,

insufficient ). It is often used to self abase inferring knowledge or ability is still limited and further study should go on.

拔苗助长 bá miáo zhù zhǎng — to pull up the shoots in an attempt to help them grow.

拔 bá ( to pull up ), 苗 miáo ( shoots, young plants ), 助 zhù ( to help ), 长 zhǎng ( to

grow ). It means to spoil things by excessive enthusiasm, especially in comparison with the incorrect methods of education.

To make Chinese leaning more interesting and keep you inspired to learn Mandarin. The Chinese idioms you will find in Chinese daily language. Now you learn some Chinese idioms, each idiom here consists of interpretation, pinyin, source, sentence example for your better understanding.

1. 爱屋及乌 àiwū jíwū-Love me love my dog

There was a state called zhou (zhōu 周) in the chinese history. One day, the king of

zhou asked his officials for advice on dealing with prisoners of war.An official said, "i once heard if you love someone, you are intended to love even the crows on the roof of his house; if you hate someone, you are intended to hate even the walls and the parapets of his. The prisoners of war were enemies fighting against us. In my opinion, we'd better kill them all." But the king didn't agree with him."I think we should treat the prisoners of war differently by differing them into those who are guilty and those who are not. The guilty ones will be sentenced to death in order to avoid future disasters." Another official put forward his suggestion. The king didn't think it was a proper way, either.Then a third one said, "Your majesty, i think all the prisoners should be set free and sent back home to work in the fields and support themselves by their own labor.Moreover, you should keep strictly the rules for reward and punishment and try to your relatives and friends impartially.The people are sure to believe in you if you administer our country by morals and laws." The king thought the official's proposal was quite reasonable so he accepted and followed it.As a result, the domestic situation soon settled down and gradually the country became more stable and stronger.The idiom is then used to mean that if you love someone,you'll love people and things relative to him as well. 

中国历史上有一个国家名叫“周”。一天，周王问他的官员，应该怎样处理

战俘。一个官员说：“我以前曾听说：如果喜欢某个人，就连停留在那人住的屋

顶上的乌鸦都喜欢；如果厌恶某个人，就连那人家里的墙壁和围墙都厌恶。战俘

是我们的敌人，和我们是对立的，我觉得最好把他们全部杀了。”周王认为这样

做不行。另外一个官员也提出了自己的意见：“依我看应该把战俘区分对待，把

有罪的和无罪的、好的和坏的区分开来。有罪的战俘要处死，不能留下祸患。”

周王认为这样做也不大妥当。接着，又有一个官员说：“大王，我认为应该把这

些战俘全都放了，让他们回到自己的家里，耕种田地，自食其力。而大王对自己

的亲人和朋友，也要赏罚分明，不能偏心。通过道德和法律来治理国家，人民肯

定会对大王信服的。”周王听后觉得很有道理，就按这个办法去做，结果国家真

的很快安定下来了，变得越来越稳定和强大。成语“爱屋及乌”后来就被用来比

喻：因为喜爱一个人，连带和他有关的人或事物也喜爱、关心。

Zhōnɡɡuó lìshǐ shànɡ yǒu yí ɡè ɡuó jiā mínɡ jiào “ zhōu ”. Yì tiān, zhōu wánɡ wèn tā de ɡuān yuán, yīnɡ ɡāi zěn yànɡ chú lǐ zhàn fú. Yí ɡè ɡuān yuán shuō: “wǒ yǐ qián

cénɡ tīnɡ shuō ： rú ɡuǒ xǐ huɑn mǒu ɡè rén, jiù lián tínɡ liú zài nà rén zhù de wū

dǐnɡ shànɡ de wū yā dōu xǐ huɑn; Rú ɡuǒ yàn wù mǒu ɡè rén, jiù lián nà rén jiɑ lǐ de qiánɡ bì hé wéi qiánɡ dōu yàn wù. zhàn fú shì wǒ men de dí rén,hé wǒ men shì duì lì de, wǒ jué dé zuì hǎo bǎ tā men quán bù shā le.” Zhōu wánɡ rèn wéi zhè yànɡ zuò bù xínɡ. Lìnɡ wài yí ɡè ɡuān yuán yě tí chū le zì jǐ de yì jiàn: “yī wǒ kàn yīnɡ ɡāi bǎ

zhàn fú qū fēn duì dài, bǎ yǒu zuì de hé wú zuì de、hǎo de hé huài de qū fēn kāi lái.

Yǒu zuì de zhàn fú yào chú sǐ, bù nénɡ liú xià huò huàn.” Zhōu wánɡ rèn wéi zhè yànɡ zuò yě bú dà tuǒ dɑnɡ. Jiē zhe, yòu yǒu yí ɡè ɡuān yuán shuō: “Dài wɑnɡ, wǒ rèn wéi yīnɡ ɡāi bǎ zhè xiē zhàn fú quán dōu fànɡ le, rànɡ tā men huí dào zì jǐ de jiā lǐ, ɡēnɡ zhònɡ tián dì, zì shí qí lì. ér dài wɑnɡ duì zì jǐ de qīn rén hé pénɡ you, yě yào shǎnɡ fá fēn mínɡ, bù nénɡ piān xīn. Tōnɡ ɡuò dào dé hé fǎ lǜ lái zhì lǐ ɡuó jiā, rén mín kěn dìnɡ huì duì dài wɑnɡ xìn fú de.” Zhōu wánɡ tīnɡ hòu jué dé hěn yǒu dào lǐ, jiù àn zhè ɡe bàn fǎ qù zuò, jié ɡuǒ ɡuó jiā zhēn de hěn kuài ān dìnɡ xià lái le, biàn dé yuè lái yuè wěn dìnɡ hé qiánɡ dà. Chénɡ yǔ “ài wū jí wū” hòu lái jiù bèi yònɡ lái bǐ

yù: yīn wèi xǐ ài yí ɡè rén, lián dài hé tā yǒu ɡuān de rén huò shì wù yě xǐ ài、ɡuān

xīn.

爱屋及乌 (ài wū jí wū)

Translation: Love me love my dog.

Explanation: 因为爱一个人而连带爱他屋上的乌鸦。比喻爱一个人而连带地关心

到与他有关的人或物。

Yīn wèi ài yí ɡè rén ér lián dài ài tā wū shànɡ de wū yā. Bǐ yù ài yí ɡè rén ér lián dài dì ɡuān xīn dào yǔ tā yǒu ɡuān de rén huò wù.

To love a person even love the crows on his roof . 爱 aì ( love ), 屋 wū ( house ), 及 jí

( and ) , 乌 wū ( a crow, the bird has been regarded as a bad luck bird according to the

old Chinese tradition ).

Example: 如果有人邀请玛丽而不请安妮，玛丽就不会去。这真是要求人家爱屋

及乌了。

Rú ɡuǒ yǒu rén yāo qǐnɡ mǎ lì ér bù qǐnɡ ān nī, mǎ lì jiù bú huì qù. Zhè zhēn shì yāo qiú rén jiɑ ài wū jí wū le.Mary never accepted an invitation unless Anne was included in it. It was a case of love me, love my dog. 

Homoionym: 相濡以沫 xiānɡrú yǐmò

Antonym: 爱莫能助 àimò nénɡzhù、殃及池鱼 yānɡjí chíyú

2. 按图索骥 àntú suǒjì-Looking for a Steed with the Aid of Its Picture

During the Spring and Autumn Period (chūn qiū 春秋时期,770-476 BC), there was a

man in the State of Qin whose name was Sun Yang (sūn yáng 孙阳). Sun Yang was

very expert in looking at horses and judging their worth. People called him Bo Le (Bo Le was the name of one of the celestial bodies and was fabled to be in charge of heavenly steeds), and he was often asked to appraise and select horses.Sun Yang worte a book entitled The Art of Looking at Horses and Judging Their Worth, based on his experiences and knowledge accumulated over the years. The book was also illustrated with the pictures of various horses. Sun Yang had a son who thought it was very esay to appraise horses according to the book. So he took it with him to look for fine horses. He found the characteristics of a toad fit very well the characteristics described in the book. So he happily took the toad back home, Sun Yang did not know whether he should laugh or cry. "That is just what we call looking for a steed with the aid of its picture."Later, people have used the set phrase "look for a steed with the aid of its picture" to refer to handling affairs mechanically in the outmoded ways without being flexible. Sometimes it is also used to refer to trying to locate something by following up a clue.

春秋时，秦国有个名叫孙阳的人，善于鉴别马的好坏，他把自己识马的经

验写成书，名为《相马经》。这本书图文并茂地介绍了各类好马，所以人们把孙

阳叫“伯乐”。

书上写着：良马有高高的额头，鼓起的眼睛，马蹄是圆圆的。孙阳的儿子熟读

了这本书后，以为自己学到了父亲的本领，便拿着《相马经》去找好马。一天，

他在路便看见一只癞蛤蟆，前额和《相马经》上好马的特征相符，就以为找到了

一匹千里马，马上跑去告诉父亲：“和你书上画的好马差不多，只是蹄子不

像。”孙阳听后，哭笑不得，开玩笑地说：“这匹马太喜欢跳了，不好驾驭。”

这个成语比喻机械地照书本上的知识，不求事物的本质。

Chūn qiū shí, qín ɡuó yǒu ɡè mínɡ jiào sūn yánɡ de rén, shàn yú jiàn bié mǎ de hǎo

huài, tā bǎ zì jǐ shí mǎ de jīnɡ yàn xiě chénɡ shū, mínɡ wéi 《 xiànɡ mǎ jīnɡ 》. Zhè

běn shū tú wén bìnɡ mào dì jiè shào le ɡè lèi hǎo mǎ, suó yǐ rén men bǎ sūn yánɡ jiào “bó lè”.Shū shànɡ xiě zhe: liánɡ mǎ yǒu ɡāo ɡāo de é tóu, ɡǔ qǐ de yǎn jinɡ, mǎ tí shì yuán yuán de. Sūn yánɡ de ér zi shú dú le zhè běn shū hòu, yǐ wéi zì jǐ xué dào le fù qīn de

bén lǐnɡ, biàn ná zhe 《xiànɡ mǎ jīnɡ》 qù zhǎo hǎo mǎ. Yì tiān, tā zài lù biàn kàn jiàn

yì zhī lài há mɑ, qián é hé 《xiànɡ mǎ jīnɡ》 shànɡ hǎo mǎ de tè zhēnɡ xiānɡ fú, jiù yǐ

wéi zhǎo dào le yì pǐ qiān lǐ mǎ, mǎ shànɡ pǎo qù ɡào su fù qīn: “Hé nǐ shū shànɡ huà de hǎo mǎ chà bù duō, zhǐ shì tí zi bú xiànɡ.” Sūn yánɡ tīnɡ hòu, kū xiào bù dé, kāi wán xiào dì shuō: “Zhè pǐ mǎ tài xǐ huɑn tiào le,bù hǎo jià yù.” Zhè ɡe chénɡ yǔ bǐ yù jī xiè dì zhào shū běn shànɡ de zhī shí, bù qiú shì wù de běn zhì.

按图索骥 (àn tú suǒ jì )

Translation: Looking for a Steed with the Aid of Its Picture.

Explanation: 索：寻找，骥：好马。按照画像去寻求好马，比喻按照线索寻找，

或办事机械，死板。

suǒ: xún zhǎo, jì ： hǎo mǎ. àn zhào huà xiànɡ qù xún qiú hǎo mǎ, bǐ yù àn zhào xiàn

suǒ xún zhǎo, huò bàn shì jī xiè, sí bǎn.

Example: 我们要学习外国的先进经验，但不可按图索骥地搬用，那样自然会得

不偿失。

Wǒ men yào xué xí wài ɡuó de xiān jìn jīnɡ yàn, dàn bù kě àn tú suǒ jì dì bān yònɡ, nà yànɡ zì rán huì dé bù chánɡ shī.

Homoionym: 照本宣科 zhàoběn xuānkē、生搬硬套 shēnɡbān yìnɡtào

Antonym: 不落窠臼 búluò kējiù

3. 拔苗助长 bá miáo zhù zhǎnɡ—Try to help the shoots grow by pulling them

upwardThere once was an impatient farmer who lived during the Song Dynasty (sòng cháo

宋国,960-1279 AD). Everyday the anxious farmer would measure the growth of the

crops. To his dismay, his crops were growing much slower than he expected.The

farmer racked his brains trying to find better ways of planting in order to get quicker results. One day he finally came up with a solution. He started to physically pull the crops out of the ground, thus making them taller. The farmer worked very hard and at day’s end was physically exhausted but mentally happy as his plan had produced the desired results.When the farmer went home, he told his son of his “brilliant” method. His son went to the field only to discover that all of his crops were all dead.

春秋时代，宋国有个急性子的农夫。庄稼长出禾苗以后，他每天都去观看。

令他沮丧的是，禾苗长得太慢。农夫绞尽脑汁想让禾苗长快些。一天他终于想出

方法。他跑到田里，把禾苗一颗颗往上拔，使它们长高。农夫虽然很累但他很高

兴看到禾苗长高。当农夫回家时，把这个好办法告诉了他儿子。他的儿子赶忙跑

到田里去看，禾苗全都枯萎了。

Chūn qiū shí dài, sònɡ ɡuó yǒu ɡè jí xìnɡ zi de nónɡ fū. Zhuānɡ jiɑ zhǎnɡ chū hé miáo yǐ hòu, tā měi tiān dōu qù ɡuān kàn. Lìnɡ tā jǔ sànɡ de shì, hé miáo zhǎnɡ dé tài màn. Nónɡ fū jiǎo jìn nǎo zhī xiǎnɡ rànɡ hé miáo chánɡ kuài xiē. Yì tiān tā zhōnɡ yú xiǎnɡ chū fānɡ fǎ. Tā pǎo dào tián lǐ, bǎ hé miáo yì kē kē wǎnɡ shànɡ bá, shǐ tā men chánɡ ɡāo. Nónɡ fū suī rán hěn lèi dàn tā hěn ɡāo xìnɡ kàn dào hé miáo chánɡ ɡāo. Dānɡ nónɡ fū huí jiā shí, bǎ zhè ɡe hǎo bàn fǎ ɡào su le tā ér zi. Tā de ér zi ɡǎn mánɡ pǎo dào tián lǐ qù kàn, hé miáo quán dōu kū wěi le.

Translation: Try to help the shoots grow by pulling them upward.

Explanation: 把苗拔起，以助其生长。后用来比喻违反事物的发展规律，急于求

成，反而坏事。

Bǎ miáo bá qǐ, yǐ zhù qí shēnɡ zhǎnɡ. Hòu yònɡ lái bǐ yù wéi fǎn shì wù de fā zhǎn ɡuī lǜ, jí yú qiú chénɡ,fǎn ér huài shì.

Example: 家长教育孩子需要耐心，要循序渐进，不能拔苗助长。

Jiā zhǎnɡ jiào yù hái zi xū yào nài xīn, yào xún xù jiàn jìn, bù nénɡ bá miáo zhù zhǎnɡ.

Homoionym: 欲速不达 yùsù bùdá、急功近利 jíɡōnɡ jìnlì

Antonym: 循序渐进 xúnxù jiànjìn、水到渠成 shuǐdào qúchénɡ

4. 班门弄斧 bānmén nònɡfǔ-Showing Off One's Proficiency with the Axe Before

Lu Ban the Master Carpenter

Lu Ban (lǔ bān 鲁班) was supposed to be a consummate carpenter in ancient times. It

is said that he once carved a wooden phoenix that was so lifelike that it actually flew in the sky for three days. Thus it was considered the height of folly to show off one's skill with an axe in front of Lu Ban.

古代有一个建筑和雕刻技术非常高超的人，名叫鲁班，他是一个善于制作

精巧器具的能手，木匠行里尊称他为祖师。传说他曾用木头制作了一只五彩斑斓

的凤凰，能够在空中飞翔三天不掉下来。谁敢在鲁班门前卖弄使用斧子的技术，

也就是说，想在大行家面前显示自的本领，这种太不谦虚的可笑行为，就叫做

“鲁班门前弄大斧”，简称“班门弄斧”。 这句成语有时也用作自谦之词，表

示自己不敢在行家面前卖弄自己的小本领。

Gǔ dài yǒu yí ɡè jiàn zhù hé diāo kè jì shù fēi chánɡ ɡāo chāo de rén, mínɡ jiào lǔ bān, tā shì yí ɡè shàn yú zhì zuò jīnɡ qiǎo qì jù de nénɡ shǒu, mù jiɑnɡ xínɡ lǐ zūn chēnɡ tā wéi zǔ shī. Chuán shuō tā cénɡ yònɡ mù tou zhì zuò le yì zhī wú cǎi bān lán de fènɡ huánɡ, nénɡ ɡòu zài kōnɡ zhōnɡ fēi xiánɡ sān tiān bú diào xià lái. Shuí ɡǎn zài lǔ bān mén qián mài nònɡ shǐ yònɡ fǔ zi de jì shù, yě jiù shì shuō, xiǎnɡ zài dà hánɡ jiɑ miàn qián xiǎn shì zì de bén lǐnɡ, zhè zhǒnɡ tài bù qiān xū de kě xiào xínɡ wéi, jiù jiào zuò “lǔ bān mén qián nònɡ dà fǔ”, jiǎn chēnɡ “bān mén nònɡ fǔ”. Zhè jù chénɡ yǔ yǒu shí yě yònɡ zuò zì qiān zhī cí, biǎo shì zì jǐ bù ɡǎn zài hánɡ jiɑ miàn qián mài nònɡ zì jǐ de xiǎo bén lǐnɡ.

Translation: Showing Off One's Proficiency with the Axe Before Lu Ban the Master Carpenter.

Explanation: 在鲁班门前舞弄斧子。比喻在行家面前卖弄本领，不自量力。

Zài lǔ bān mén qián wǔ nònɡ fǔ zi. Bǐ yù zài hánɡ jiɑ miàn qián mài nònɡ bén lǐnɡ, bú zì liànɡ lì.

Example: 姐姐学问渊博，妹妹不敢班门弄斧，乱加评论。

Jiě jie xué wen yuān bó, mèi mei bù ɡǎn bān mén nònɡ fǔ, luàn jiā pínɡ lùn.

Homoionym: 布鼓雷门 bùɡǔ léimén，贻笑大方 yíxiào dàfānɡ

Antonym: 虚怀若谷 xūhuái ruòɡǔ，自知之明 zìzhī zhīmínɡ，知人之明　zhīrén

zhīmínɡ

5. 抱薪救火 bàoxīn jiùhuǒ-Carrying Faggots to Put Out a Fire

In the last years of the Warring States period (zhàn guó 战国, 475-221BC), the State

of Qin (qín guó 秦 国 ) attacked the State of Wei (wèi guó 魏国 ) on a large scale

repeatedly and occupied large areas of land, for the State of Wei was too weak to defend itself. In 273 BC, the Qin army launched another attack upon the State of Wei with a momentum more vigorous than ever. The king of the State of Wei summoned his officials,and asked with a worried look if anyone could propose a way to defeat the Qin army.After years of chaos caused by the wars,the officials trembled when fighting was mentioned, and no one dared to speak of “resistance”. At the critical moment when a large enemy force was approaching the border, most of the officials persuaded the king to sue for peace, at the cost of giving away to the State of Qin the large area of land north of the Huanghe River

(huáng hé黄河) and south of the Taihang Mountain (tài háng shān 太行山). However

Su Dai (sūdài 苏代 ), a counsellor, did not agree. He hurried up to the king and

said:"Your Majesty, they don't think about the interests of the country at all.It is just because they are cowardly and afraid of death that they ask you to sue for peace by betraying the country.Of course you can temperarily satisfy the ambition of the king of the State of Qin is insatiably greedy. It will never stop assaulting us until our land is totally given away."Once there was a man whose house was on fire. People told him to put out the fire with water, but he would not listen. Instead, he carried a faggot to put out the fire, only to make the fire fiercer. That was because he didn't know that,instead of putting out the fire, faggots could only make it burning more vigorously. Isn't it equivalent to carrying faggots to put out a fire if you agree to sue for peace at the cost of the land of the State of Wei?"Though Su Dai's argument was very convincing, the king accepted the suggestion of those officials and gave away to the State of Qin a large area of the land of the State of Wei. For the king of the State of Wei was cowardly and only cared for peace at the moment. As might be expected, the Qin army assaulted the State of Wei on a large scale in 225 B.C, surrounding the capital city Daliang and flooding it by digging open the dykes of the Huanghe River. The State of Wei was finally destroyed by the State of Qin. This story appears in the Historical Records Written by Sima Qian. The set phrase"carrying faggots to put out a fire"is used to mean adopting a wrong method to save a situation and ending up by making it worse.

战国末期，秦国向魏国接连发动大规模的进攻，魏国无力抵抗，大片土地

都被秦军占领了。到公元前 273年，秦国又一次向魏国出兵，势头空前猛烈。

Zhàn ɡuó mò qī, qín ɡuó xiànɡ wèi ɡuó jiē lián fā dònɡ dà ɡuī mó de jìn ɡōnɡ, wèi ɡuó wú lì dǐ kànɡ, dà piàn tǔ dì dōu bèi qín jūn zhàn lǐnɡ le. Dào ɡōnɡ yuán qián èr bǎi qī shí sān nián, qín ɡuó yòu yí cì xiànɡ wèi ɡuó chū bīnɡ, shì tóu kōnɡ qián měnɡ liè.

魏王把大臣们召来，愁眉苦脸地问大家有没有使秦国退兵的办法。大臣们由

于经过多年的战乱，提起打仗就吓得哆嗦，谁也不敢谈“抵抗”二字。在这大兵

压境的危急时刻，多数大臣都劝魏王，用黄河以北和太行山以南的大片土地为

代价，向秦王求和。

Wèi wánɡ bǎ dà chén men zhào lái, chóu méi kǔ liǎn dì wèn dà jiā yǒu méi yǒu shǐ qín ɡuó tuì bīnɡ de bàn fǎ. Dà chén men yóu yú jīnɡ ɡuò duō nián de zhàn luàn, tí qǐ dǎ zhànɡ jiù xià dé duō suo, shuí yě bù ɡǎn tán “dǐ kànɡ” èr zì. Zài zhè dà bīnɡ yā jìnɡ de wēi jí shí kè, duō shù dà chén dōu quàn wèi wánɡ, yònɡ huánɡ hé yǐ běi hé tài hánɡ shān yǐ nán de dà piàn tǔ dì wéi dài jià, xiànɡ qín wánɡ qiú hé.

谋士苏代听了这些话，很不以为然，忙上前对魏王说：“大王，他们是因

为自己胆小怕死，才让您去卖国求和，根本不为国家着想。您想，把大片土地割

让给秦国虽然暂时满足了秦王的野心，但秦国的欲望是无止境的，只要魏国的

土地没割完，秦军就不会停止进攻我们。”

Móu shì sū dài tīnɡ le zhè xiē huà, hěn bù yǐ wéi rán, mánɡ shànɡ qián duì wèi wánɡ shuō: “Dà wɑnɡ, tā men shì yīn wèi zì jǐ dǎn xiǎo pà sǐ, cái rànɡ nín qù mài ɡuó qiú hé, ɡēn běn bù wéi ɡuó jiā zhuó xiǎnɡ. Nín xiǎnɡ, bǎ dà piàn tǔ dì ɡē rànɡ ɡěi qín ɡuó suī rán zàn shí mǎn zú le qín wánɡ de yě xīn, dàn qín ɡuó de yù wànɡ shì wú zhǐ jìnɡ de, zhǐ yào wèi ɡuó de tǔ dì méi ɡē wán, qín jūn jiù bú huì tínɡ zhǐ jìn ɡōnɡ wǒ men.”

说到这里，苏代讲了一个故事：“从前有一个人，他的房子起火了，别人劝

他快用水去浇灭大火，但他不听，偏抱起一捆柴草去救火，是因为他不懂得柴

草不但不能灭火反而能助长火势的道理。大王若同意拿着魏国土地去求和，不就

等于抱着柴草救火吗？”

Shuō dào zhè lǐ, sū dài jiǎnɡ le yí ɡè ɡù shi: “ Cónɡ qián yǒu yí ɡè rén,tā de fánɡ zi qí huǒ le, bié rén quàn tā kuài yònɡ shuǐ qù jiāo miè dà huǒ, dàn tā bù tīnɡ, piān bào qǐ yì kǔn chái cǎo qù jiù huǒ, shì yīn wèi tā bù dǒnɡ dé chái cǎo bú dàn bù nénɡ

miè huǒ fǎn ér nénɡ zhù zhǎnɡ huǒ shì de dào lǐ. Dà wɑnɡ ruò tónɡ yì ná zhe wèi ɡuó tǔ dì qù qiú hé,bú jiù děnɡ yú bào zhe chái cǎo jiù huǒ mɑ?”

尽管苏代讲得头头是道，但是胆小的魏王只顾眼前的太平，还是依大臣们

的意见把魏国大片土地割让给秦国。到公元 225年，果然秦军又向魏国大举进攻

包围了国都大梁，掘开黄河大堤让洪水淹没了大梁城，魏国终于被秦国灭掉了。

Jín ɡuǎn sū dài jiǎnɡ dé tóu tóu shì dào, dàn shì dǎn xiǎo de wèi wánɡ zhǐ ɡù yǎn qián de tài pínɡ, hái shì yī dà chén men de yì jiàn bǎ wèi ɡuó dà piàn tǔ dì ɡē rànɡ ɡěi qín ɡuó. Dào ɡōnɡ yuán nián, ɡuǒ rán qín jūn yòu xiànɡ wèi ɡuó dà jǔ jìn ɡōnɡ, bāo wéi le ɡuó dū dà liánɡ, jué kāi huánɡ hé dà dī rànɡ hónɡ shuǐ yān mò le dà liánɡ chénɡ, wèi ɡuó zhōnɡ yú bèi qín ɡuó miè diào le.

Translation: Carrying faggots to put out a fire,

Explanation: 薪：柴草。抱着柴草去救火。比喻用错误的方法去消除灾祸，结果

使灾祸反而扩大。

Xīn: chái cǎo. Bào zhe chái cǎo qù jiù huǒ. Bǐ yù yònɡ cuò wù de fānɡ fǎ qù xiāo chú zāi huò, jié ɡuǒ shǐ zāi huò fǎn ér kuò dà.Adopting a wrong method to save a situation and end up by making it worse.

Example: 我们在遇到困难的时候，一定要找出正确的解决办法，千万不能抱薪

救火！

Wǒ men zài yù dào kùn nɑn de shí hou,yí dìnɡ yào zhǎo chū zhènɡ què de jiě jué bàn fǎ,qiān wàn bù nénɡ bào xīn jiù huǒ!

Homoionym: 火上浇油 huǒshànɡ jiāoyóu、饮鸩止渴 yǐnzhèn zhǐkě

Antonym: 雪中送炭 xuězhōnɡ sònɡtàn、根除祸患 ɡēnchú huòhuàn、釜底抽薪 fǔdǐ

chōuxīn

6. 杯弓蛇影 bēiɡōnɡ shéyǐnɡ-Mistaking the Reflection of a Bow for a Snake

In the Jin Dynasty (jìn cháo 晋朝,265-420), a man called Yue Guang (yuè guǎng 乐

广) once invited a friend to have a drink at his home. When the friend lifted his cup,

he saw a small snake in the wine, yet he forced himself to drink. Back home, the friend recalled the incident, and felt so disgusted that he fell ill. Hearing about this, Yue Guang invited his friend again. He asked him to sit in the same place and drink.

Then his friend saw that the image of the snake in the cup was actually the reflection of a bow hung on the wall. Realizing this, the friend recovered quickly.

乐广有一位亲密的朋友，分别很久不见再来了。问到原因时，友人告诉说：

“前些日子他来你家做客，承蒙你的厚意，正端起酒杯要喝酒的时候，仿佛看

见杯中有一条"小蛇"在晃动。心里虽然十分厌恶它，可还是喝了那杯酒。回到家

里，就身得重病。”当时河南听事堂的墙壁上挂着一张角弓。乐广心想，杯中所

谓的"小蛇"无疑是角弓的影子了。于是，他便在原来的地方再次请那位朋友饮酒

问道：“今天的杯中还能看到 '小蛇'吗？”朋友回答说：“所看到的跟上次一

样。”乐广指着墙壁上的角弓，向他说明了原因，客人恍然大悟，积久难愈的重

病一下子全好了。

Lè ɡuǎnɡ yǒu yí wèi qīn mì de pénɡ you, fēn bié hěn jiǔ bú jiàn zài lái le. Wèn dào yuán yīn shí, yǒu rén ɡào su shuō: “ qián xiē rì zi tā lái nǐ jiā zuò kè, chénɡ ménɡ nǐ de hòu yì, zhènɡ duān qǐ jiǔ bēi yào hē jiǔ de shí hou, fǎnɡ fú kàn jiàn bēi zhōnɡ yǒu yì tiáo xiǎo shé zài huànɡ dònɡ. Xīn lǐ suī rán shí fēn yàn wù tā, kě hái shì hē le nà bēi jiǔ. Huí dào jiā lǐ, jiù shēn dé zhònɡ bìnɡ.” Dānɡ shí hé nán tīnɡ shì tánɡ de qiánɡ bì shànɡ ɡuà zhe yì zhānɡ jiǎo ɡōnɡ. Lè ɡuǎnɡ xīn xiǎnɡ, bēi zhōnɡ suǒ wèi de xiǎo shé wú yí shì jiǎo ɡōnɡ de yǐnɡ zi le. Yú shì, tā biàn zài yuán lái de dì fɑnɡ zài cì

qǐnɡ nà wèi pénɡ you yǐn jiǔ。 Wèn dào: “jīn tiān de bēi zhōnɡ hái nénɡ kàn dào xiǎo

shé mɑ?” Pénɡ you huí dá shuō: “Suǒ kàn dào de ɡēn shànɡ cì yí yànɡ.” Lè ɡuǎnɡ zhǐ zhe qiánɡ bì shànɡ de jiǎo ɡōnɡ, xiànɡ tā shuō mínɡ liǎo yuán yīn, kè rén huǎnɡ rán dà wù, jī jiǔ nán yù de zhònɡ bìnɡ yí xià zǐ quán hǎo le.

Translation: Mistaking the Reflection of a Bow for a Snake.

Explanation: 将映在酒杯里的弓影误认为蛇。比喻因疑神疑鬼而引起恐惧。

Jiānɡ yìnɡ zài jiǔ bēi lǐ de ɡōnɡ yǐnɡ wù rèn wéi shé. Bǐ yù yīn yí shén yí ɡuǐ ér yín qǐ kǒnɡ jù.A false alarm, self-created suspision.

Example: 她敏感得很，常杯弓蛇影，怀疑环境不安全。

Tā mín ɡǎn dé hěn, chánɡ bēi ɡōnɡ shé yǐnɡ,huái yí huán jìnɡ bù ān quán.

Homoionym: 草木皆兵 cǎomù jiēbīnɡ 、疑神疑鬼 yíshén yíɡuǐ 、风声鹤唳

fēnɡshēnɡ hèlì、惊弓之鸟 jīnɡɡōnɡ zhīniǎo

Antonym: 处之泰然 chǔzhī tàirán、安之若泰 ānzhī ruòtài、谈笑自若 tánxiào zìruò

7. 病入膏肓 (bìnɡ rù ɡāo huānɡ)—The disease has attacked the vitals

In the Spring and Autumn Period (chūn qiū 春秋时期,770-476 BC), King Jing of the

State of Jin (Jìn guó 晋国) fell ill. One night he dreamed that the disease turned into

two small figures talking beside him. One said, ‘I’m afraid the doctor will hurt us.’ The other said, ‘Do not worry. We can hide above huang and below gao. Then the doctor will be able to do nothing to us.’ The next day, having examined the king, the doctor said, ‘Your disease is incurable, I am afraid, Your Majesty. It’ above huang and below gao, where no medicine can reach.’The idiom indicates a hopeless condition.

春秋时期，晋景公有一次得了重病，听说秦国有一个医术很高明的医生，

便专程派人去请来。医生还没到。晋景公恍惚中做了个梦。梦见了两个小孩，正

悄悄地在他身旁说话。一个说：“那个高明的医生马上就要来了，我看我们这回

难逃了，我们躲到什么地方去呢？” 另一个小孩说道：“这没什么可怕的，我

们躲到肓的上面，膏的下面，无论他怎样用药，都奈何我们不得。” 不一会儿，

秦国的名医到了，立刻被请进了晋景公的卧室替晋景公治病。诊断后，那医生对

晋景公说：“这病已没办法治了。疾病在肓之上，膏之下，用灸法攻治不行，扎

针又达不到，吃汤药，其效力也达不到。这病是实在没法子治啦。”

晋景公听了，心想医生所说，果然验证了自己梦见的两个小孩的对话，便

点了点头说：“你的医术真高明啊！”说毕，叫人送了一份厚礼给医生，让他

回秦国去了。不过这只是一个传说! 现在意指病已危重到了无法救治的地步。亦

喻事情到了无可挽回的地步。

Chūnqiū shíqī, jìn jǐnɡ ɡōnɡ yǒu yí cì dé liǎo zhònɡ bìnɡ, tīnɡ shuō qín ɡuó yǒu yí ɡè yī shù hěn ɡāo mínɡ de yī shenɡ, biàn zhuān chénɡ pài rén qù qǐnɡ lái. Yī shenɡ huán méi dào. Jìn jǐnɡ ɡōnɡ huǎnɡ hū zhōnɡ zuò le ɡè mènɡ. Mènɡ jiàn le liǎnɡ ɡè xiǎo hái, zhènɡ qiāo qiāo dì zài tā shēn pánɡ shuō huà. Yí ɡè shuō: “Nà ɡè ɡāo mínɡ

de yī shenɡ mǎ shànɡ jiù yào lái le, wǒ kàn wǒ men zhè huí nán táo le, wǒ men duǒ dào shén me dì fɑnɡ qù ne?” Lìnɡ yí ɡè xiǎo hái shuō dào: “zhè méi shén me kě pà de, wǒ men duǒ dào huānɡ de shànɡ miɑn, ɡāo de xià miɑn, wú lùn tā zěn yànɡ yònɡ yào, dōu nài hé wǒ men bù dé.” Bù yí huì ér, qín ɡuó de mínɡ yī dào le, lì kè bèi qǐnɡ jìn le jìn jǐnɡ ɡōnɡ de wò shì tì jìn jǐnɡ ɡōnɡ zhì bìnɡ. Zhěn duàn hòu, nà yī shenɡ duì jìn jǐnɡ ɡōnɡ shuō: “zhè bìnɡ yǐ méi bàn fǎ zhì le. Jí bìnɡ zài huānɡ zhī shànɡ, ɡāo zhī xià, yònɡ jiǔ fǎ ɡōnɡ zhì bù xínɡ, zhā zhēn yòu dá bú dào, chī tānɡ yào, qí xiào lì yě dá bú dào. Zhè bìnɡ shì shí zɑi méi fǎ zi zhì lā.”

Jìn jǐnɡ ɡōnɡ tīnɡ le, xīn xiǎnɡ yī shenɡ suǒ shuō, ɡuǒ rán yàn zhènɡ le zì jǐ mènɡ jiàn de liǎnɡ ɡè xiǎo hái de duì huà, biàn diǎn le diǎn tóu shuō: “Nǐ de yī shù zhēn ɡāo mínɡ ā!” Shuō bì, jiào rén sònɡ le yí fèn hòu lǐ ɡěi yī shenɡ, rànɡ tā huí qín ɡuó qù le. Bú ɡuò zhè zhǐ shì yí ɡè chuán shuō xiàn zài yì zhǐ bìnɡ yǐ wēi zhònɡ dào liǎo wú fǎ jiù zhì de dì bù. Yì yù shì qínɡ dào liǎo wú kě wǎn huí de dì bù.

Translation: The disease has attacked the vitals.

Explanation: 膏肓：古人把心尖脂肪叫“膏”，心脏与膈膜之间叫“肓”。形容

病情十分严重，无法医治。比喻事情到了无法挽救的地步。

Gāo huānɡ: Gǔ rén bǎ xīn jiān zhī fánɡ jiào “ɡāo”, xīn zànɡ yǔ ɡé mó zhī jiān jiào “huānɡ”. Xínɡ rónɡ bìnɡ qínɡ shí fēn yán zhònɡ, wú fǎ yī zhì. Bǐ yù shì qínɡ dào liǎo wú fǎ wǎn jiù de dì bù.

Example: 他的病很严重，已经病入膏肓了。

Tā de bìnɡ hěn yán zhònɡ, yǐ jīnɡ bìnɡ rù ɡāo huānɡ le.

Homoionym: 人命危浅 rénmìnɡ wēiqiǎn、行将就木 xínɡjiānɡ jiumù

Antonym: 妙手回春 miàoshǒu huíchūn、手到病除 shǒudào bìnɡchú

8. 不寒而栗 (bùhán érlì)—Shivering All Over Though Not Cold

During the Han Dynasty Han dynasty (hàn cháo 汉朝, 206BC—220AD), there was a

man whose name was Yi Zong (yìzòng 义纵). Because of the special Kindness of the

mother of the emperor, Yi Zong was made a magistrate in one county. After taking up the official post ,he did very well in managing the official business. He Was courageous and resolute in bandling cases, and punished according to law anybody who violated the law, no matter whether he was a despotic gentleman who was rich and powerful or was one of the common people.When YiZong was transferred to be the prefect of the Nanyang Prefecture (nán yáng

jùn 南阳郡 ), Ning Cheng (nìng chéng 宁成 ), a despotic landlord who stopped at

nothing in doing evil, was living there, In order to ingratiate himself with Yi Zong, Ning Cheng pretended to be very modest and courteous every time he met Yi Zong and saw him off. But Yi Zong had heard of the evil conducts of Ning Cheng already and, soon after he took office in Nanyang,he made investigations. It did not take much time for him to find out Ning cheng's crimes and had him put in prison.

Later, Emperor Wu Di (hàn wǔ dì汉武帝) of the Han Dynasty appointed Yi Zong the

prefect of the Dingxiang Prefecture (dìng xiāng 定襄). At that time, the publica order

in Dingxiang was very chaotic.When he took office there, there were 200 convicts in prison who had committed felonies had no implements of punishment on them.There were also more than 200 persons who offered bribes in order to absolve those serious offenders trom guilt.Yi Zong treated the matter severely. He arrested all those bribers and punished the bribers and those serious offenders already in prison severely. More than 400 convicts were executed in a bay. From that day on, whenever the name of Yi Zong was mentioned.people in Dingxinang would tremble with fear --they would shiver all over though not cold. This story appears in the "Lives of the Merciless Judges and Prison Wardens "in The Historical Records written by Sima Pian. The set phrase "shivering all over though not cold "is used to refer to the state of being extremely afraid.

汉武帝时，有一个人名叫义纵，因为受到太后的恩宠，做了上党郡某县令。

上任以后，公务办得很出色，案子处理上敢作敢为，不论是有钱有势的豪绅，

还是平民， 只要犯了法，义纵秉公审办，皇上很赞赏他，调他做河内郡都尉。

一到任，他立即把祸害一方的豪门大族满门抄斩，一时间，河内郡的治安和社

会风气大有好转，有人不慎把东西失落在道路上，也没有人抢走据为已有。

义纵调到南阳任太守时，一个做恶多端的豪强地主宁成，正在南阳居住。宁

成为了讨好义纵，每次迎送都装出谦恭的样子。但是，义纵对他的恶行早有所闻

到南阳后立即展开调查，很快就查清他的罪行，把他关押起来。

后来，汉武帝又任命义纵做定襄太守。当时定襄的社会治安历史学家混乱。

义纵到任以后，把押在狱中的没有加开具的二百多名重犯，以及为重犯开脱罪

责进行贿赂的二百多名门客亲属，一律严加追究，拘捕治罪，一天之内处死的

就有四百多名。从此以后，定襄的人一听到义纵的名字就“不寒而栗”－天气不

冷却浑身发抖。

Hàn wǔ dì shí, yǒu yí ɡè rén mínɡ jiào yì zònɡ, yīn wèi shòu dào tài hòu de ēn chǒnɡ, zuò le shànɡ dǎnɡ jùn mǒu xiàn lìnɡ. Shànɡ rèn yǐ hòu, ɡōnɡ wù bàn dé hěn chū sè, àn zi chú lǐ shànɡ ɡǎn zuò ɡǎn wéi, bú lùn shì yǒu qián yǒu shì de háo shēn, hái shì pínɡ mín, zhǐ yào fàn le fǎ, yì zònɡ bǐnɡ ɡōnɡ shěn bàn, huánɡ shɑnɡ hěn zàn shǎnɡ tā, diào tā zuò hé nèi jùn dōu wèi. Yí dào rèn, tā lì jí bǎ huò hɑi yì fānɡ de háo mén dà zú mǎn mén chāo zhǎn, yì shí jiān, hé nèi jùn de zhì ān hé shè huì fēnɡ qì dà yǒu háo zhuǎn, yǒu rén bú shèn bǎ dōnɡ xi shī luò zài dào lù shɑnɡ, yě méi yǒu rén qiǎnɡ zǒu jù wéi yǐ yǒu.

Yì zònɡ diào dào nán yánɡ rèn tài shǒu shí, yí ɡè zuò è duō duān de háo qiánɡ dì zhǔ nínɡ chénɡ, zhènɡ zài nán yánɡ jū zhù. Nínɡ chénɡ wéi le táo hǎo yì zònɡ, měi cì yínɡ sònɡ dōu zhuānɡ chū qiān ɡōnɡ de yànɡ zi. Dàn shì, yì zònɡ duì tā de è xínɡ zǎo yǒu suǒ wén, dào nán yánɡ hòu lì jí zhǎn kāi diào chá, hěn kuài jiù chá qīnɡ tā de zuì xínɡ, bǎ tā ɡuān yā qǐ lái.

Hòu lái, hàn wǔ dì yòu rèn mìnɡ yì zònɡ zuò dìnɡ xiānɡ tài shǒu. Dānɡ shí dìnɡ xiānɡ de shè huì zhì ān lì shǐ xué jiā hùn luàn. Yì zònɡ dào rèn yǐ hòu, bǎ yā zài yù zhōnɡ dì méi yǒu jiā kāi jù de èr bǎi duō mínɡ zhònɡ fàn, yǐ jí wéi zhònɡ fàn kāi tuō zuì zé jìn xínɡ huì lù de èr bǎi duō mínɡ mén kè qīn shǔ, yí lǜ yán jiā zhuī jiū, jū bǔ zhì zuì, yì tiān zhī nèi chú sǐ de jiù yǒu sì bǎi duō mínɡ. Cónɡ cǐ yǐ hòu, dìnɡ xiānɡ de

rén yì tīnɡ dào yì zònɡ de mínɡ zi jiù “bù hán ér lì” － tiān qì bù lěnɡ què hún shēn fā

dǒu.

Translation: Shivering All Over Though Not Cold.

Explanation: 栗：畏惧，发抖。不冷而发抖。形容非常恐惧。

lì: wèi jù,fā dǒu. Bù lěnɡ ér fā dǒu. Xínɡ rónɡ fēi chánɡ kǒnɡ jù.

Example: 我了解到了那令人恐惧的事实，顿时感到不寒而栗。

Wǒ liáo jiě dào le nà lìnɡ rén kǒnɡ jù de shì shí, dùn shí ɡǎn dào bù hán ér lì.

Homoionym: 毛骨悚然 máoɡǔ sǒnɡrán、提心吊胆 tíxīn diàodǎn、胆战心惊 dǎnzhàn

xīnjīnɡ

Antonym: 无所畏惧 wúsuǒ wèijù、临危不惧 línwēi bújù

9. 才高八斗 cáiɡāo bādǒu-has eight decalitres of talent

Tsau Pi and Tsau Jr were sons of Tsau Tsau. Both were very gifted writers, and Tsau Jr was especially quick-witted.After Tsau Tsau's death, Tsau Pi took over the throne of the kingdom of wei. Jealous

of Tsau Jr's literary ability, and afraid the he might cause problems, Tsau Pi was always looking for a way to kill his brother. One day, Tsau Pi called Tsau Jr into see him. He ordered his brother to make up a poem with in the time it took to walk seven steps, adding that if he could not, his life would be in danger.Greatly saddened, Tsau Jr began to walk and to think. Before he had taken the seven steps, he had already finished his poem, the meaning of which was: "Brothers are of the same family, so why should the oppress each other?"Tsau Jr was very intelligent and loved to study. He wrote many outstanding articles which showed his artistic talent and earned him the admiration of many people. One scholar said of him: "Heaven gave the world ten decalitres of talent, and Tsau Jr alone has eight of them."Today, to say that a person "has eight decalitres of talent" is to say that he has a great aptitude for writing.

曹植是三国人，天资聪颖，10岁就可以写一手好文章。

有一次，他的父亲曹操看了他的文章后，非常惊讶地问︰“这是你写的

吗？”曹植忙跪下说︰“我下笔就可以成章。如果父亲不相信，我愿意接受测

试。”这时正好 铜雀台落成了，于是曹操命自己的几个儿子各写一篇记文。曹植

提笔便写下了名篇《铜雀台赋》，曹操这才相信曹植的文采的确高人一筹。

后来曹植的哥哥曹丕作了皇帝。曹丕心眼小，容不下这个弟弟，找了个罪名

要处死他，说︰“如果你能在七步之内做成一首诗，我就饶了你。如果做不成，

可不要怪 我了!”曹植请他出个题目。曹丕说：“就以兄弟为题目，但不许出现

兄弟二字。”曹植走出六步吟了一首诗︰煮豆持作羹，漉豉以为汁。箕在釜下燃

豆在釜中泣。本自同根生，相煎何太急? （大意︰要把豆子煮成豆豉，把豆梗抱

来当柴烧。豆梗在锅下呼呼地烧着，豆子在锅里哭泣着︰‘我们都是一条根上长

出来的，你为甚么要这样狠心地煮我而不肯轻 饶我呢?’）“曹丕听了，羞愧地

放了他。

晋朝诗人谢灵运说︰”天下才有一石（十斗），曹子建（曹植）独占八斗。

（才高八斗）” “才高八斗”比喻文采极高。

Cáo Zhí shì sān ɡuó rén, tiān zī cōnɡ yǐnɡ, suì jiù ké yǐ xiě yì shǒu hǎo wén zhānɡ.

Yǒu yí cì, tā de fù qīn Cáo Cāo kàn le tā de wén zhānɡ hòu, fēi chánɡ jīnɡ yà dì wèn

︰ “ zhè shì nǐ xiě de mɑ?” Cáo Zhí mánɡ ɡuì xià shuō: “ wǒ xià bǐ jiù ké yǐ chénɡ

zhānɡ. Rú ɡuǒ fù qīn bù xiānɡ xìn, wǒ yuàn yì jiē shòu cè shì. ” Zhè shí zhènɡ hǎo tónɡ què tái luò chénɡ le, yú shì cáo cāo mìnɡ zì jǐ de jǐ ɡè ér zi ɡè xiě yì piān jì wén.

Cáo Zhí tí bǐ biàn xiě xià le mínɡ piān 《 tónɡ què tái fù 》, Cáo Cāo zhè cái xiānɡ xìn

Cáo Zhí de wén cǎi dí què ɡāo rén yì chóu.Hòu lái Cáo Zhí de ɡē ɡe Cáo Pī zuò le huánɡ dì. CáoPī xīn yǎn xiǎo, rónɡ bú xià zhè ɡe dì di, zhǎo le ɡè zuì mínɡ yào chú sǐ tā, shuō: “ Rú ɡuǒ nǐ nénɡ zài qí bù zhī nèi zuò chénɡ yì shǒu shī, wǒ jiù ráo le nǐ. Rú ɡuǒ zuò bù chénɡ, kě bú yào ɡuài wǒ le ” Cáo Zhí qǐnɡ tā chū ɡè tí mù. Cáo Pī shuō: “ Jiù yǐ xiōnɡ di wéi tí mù, dàn bù xǔ chū xiàn xiōnɡ di èr zì. ” Cáo Zhí zǒu chū liù bù yín le yì shǒu shī: Zhǔ dòu chí zuò ɡēnɡ, lù chǐ yǐ wéi zhī. jī zài fǔ xià rán; dòu zài fǔ zhōnɡ qì. běn zì tónɡ ɡēn shēnɡ, xiānɡ

jiān hé tài jí （ dà yì: yào bǎ dòu zi zhǔ chénɡ dòu chǐ, bǎ dòu ɡěnɡ bào lái dānɡ chái

shāo. Dòu ɡěnɡ zài ɡuō xià hū hū dì shāo zháo, dòu zi zài ɡuō lǐ kū qì zhe: wǒ men dōu shì yì tiáo ɡēn shànɡ zhǎnɡ chū lái de, nǐ wéi shèn me yào zhè yànɡ hěn xīn dì

zhǔ wǒ ér bù kěn qīnɡ ráo wǒ ne ） “ Cáo Pī tīnɡ le ， xiū kuì dì fànɡ le tā.

Jìn cháo shī rén xiè línɡ yùn shuō ︰ “ Tiān xià cái yǒu yì dān （ shí dǒu ）, Cáo

Zǐjiàn （ Cáo Zhí ） dú zhàn bá dǒu. （ cái ɡāo bā dǒu ） ” “ cái ɡāo bā dǒu ” bǐ

yù wén cǎi jí ɡāo.

Translation: be endowed with extraordinary talents

Explanation: 才华。比喻人极有才华。

Example: 这人自称才高八斗，实际上没什么能力。

Homoionym: 八斗之才、才识过人、才华横溢

Antonym: 才疏学浅、才疏志浅

10. 打草惊蛇 dǎcǎo jīngshé-Beating the grass and flushing out the snake

In ancient times there was a county magistrate who took bribes and practised graft. One day, somebody sent him a petition accusing his secretary of practising graft and taking bribes. The magistrate trembles when he read the petition. He wrote on it:"You have beaten the grass and frightened a snake."This idiom refers to alerting the target of one's scheme by being incautious.

唐朝的时候，有一个名叫王鲁的人，他在衙门做官的时候，常常接受贿赂、

不遵守法规。有一天，有人递了一张状纸到衙门，控告王鲁的部下违法、接受贿

赂。王鲁一看，状纸上所写的各种罪状，和他自己平日的违法行为一模一样。王

鲁一边看着状纸，一边发着抖：“这…这不是在说我吗？”王鲁愈看愈害怕，

都忘状纸要怎么批，居然在状纸上写下了八个大字：“汝虽打草，吾已蛇惊。”

意思就是说你这样做，目的是为了打地上的草，但我就像是躲在草里面的蛇一

样，可是被大大的吓了一跳了！

后来，大家就根据王鲁所写的八个字“汝虽打草，吾已蛇惊”，引伸为“打

草惊蛇”这句成语。

Tánɡ cháo de shí hou, yǒu yí ɡè mínɡ jiào wánɡ lǔ de rén, tā zài yá men zuò ɡuān de

shí hou, chánɡ chánɡ jiē shòu huì lù、 bù zūn shóu fǎ ɡu. Yǒu yì tiān, yǒu rén dì le yì

zhānɡ zhuànɡ zhǐ dào yá men, kònɡ ɡào wánɡ lǔ de bù xià wéi fǎ、 jiē shòu huì lù.

Wánɡ lǔ yí kàn, zhuànɡ zhǐ shànɡ suǒ xiě de ɡè zhǒnɡ zuì zhuànɡ， hé tā zì jǐ pínɡ rì

de wéi fǎ xínɡ wéi yì mó yí yànɡ. Wánɡ lǔ yì biān kàn zhe zhuànɡ zhǐ, yì biān fā zhe

dǒu: “ Zhè … zhè bú shì zài shuō wǒ mɑ？ ” wánɡ lǔ yù kàn yù hài pà, dōu wànɡ

zhuànɡ zhǐ yào zěn me pī, jū rán zài zhuànɡ zhǐ shànɡ xiě xià le bá ɡè dà zì: “ Rǔ suī dǎ cǎo, wú yǐ shé jīnɡ. ” Yì si jiù shì shuō nǐ zhè yànɡ zuò, mù dì shì wèi le dǎ dì shànɡ de cǎo, dàn wǒ jiù xiànɡ shì duǒ zài cǎo lǐ miàn de shé yí yànɡ, kě shì bèi dà dà

de xià le yí tiào le！

Hòu lái, dà jiā jiù ɡēn jù wánɡ lǔ suǒ xiě de bá ɡè zì “ Rǔ suī dǎ cǎo, wú yǐ shé jīnɡ ” , yǐn shēn wéi “ dǎ cǎo jīnɡ shé ” zhè jù chénɡ yǔ.

Translation: Beating the grass and flushing out the snake.

Explanation: 比喻做法不谨慎，反使对方有所戒备。

Bǐ yù zuò fǎ bù jǐn shèn, fǎn shǐ duì fānɡ yǒu suǒ jiè bèi.Act rashly and alert the enemy

Example: 为不打草惊蛇， 警方在那里守候了十多天，终于将嫌疑人擒获归案。

Wéi bù dǎ cǎo jīnɡ shé, jǐnɡ fānɡ zài nà lǐ shǒu hòu le shí duō tiān, zhōnɡ yú jiānɡ

xián yí rén qín huò ɡuī àn.

Homoionym: 操之过急 cāozhī ɡuòjí、因小失大 yīnxiǎo shīdà、敲山震虎 qiāoshān

zhènhǔ、顾此失彼 ɡùcǐ shībǐ

Antonym: 欲擒故纵 yùqín ɡùzònɡ、引蛇出洞 yǐnshé chūdònɡ