Idiom 1 - 一 心 一 德 With one heart and one purpose
Idiom 2 - 一 字 千 金 Each word worthy of a thousand gold
pieces
Idiom 3 - 月 下 老 人 The Old Man Under the Moon
Idiom 4 - 門 庭 若 市 A forecourt as busy as a market place
Idiom 5 - 一 鳴 驚 人 Once it caws, it shall be stunning
Idiom 6 - 紙 上 談 兵 Military strategy on paper (Armchair
generalship)
Idiom 7 - 班 門 弄 斧 Showing off axe-manship in front of Ban
Idiom 8 - 一 箭 雙 雕 Shooting two buzzards with one arrow
Idiom 9 - 天 涯 海 角 At world’s end
Idiom 10 - 世外桃源 Utopia in this world
Idiom 2 - 一 字 千 金 Each word worthy of a thousand gold
pieces
Idiom 3 - 月 下 老 人 The Old Man Under the Moon
Idiom 4 - 門 庭 若 市 A forecourt as busy as a market place
Idiom 5 - 一 鳴 驚 人 Once it caws, it shall be stunning
Idiom 6 - 紙 上 談 兵 Military strategy on paper (Armchair
generalship)
Idiom 7 - 班 門 弄 斧 Showing off axe-manship in front of Ban
Idiom 8 - 一 箭 雙 雕 Shooting two buzzards with one arrow
Idiom 9 - 天 涯 海 角 At world’s end
Idiom 10 - 世外桃源 Utopia in this world
Idiom 1 - 一 心 一 德 With one heart and one purpose
The Shang 商 Dynasty was founded by Tong 湯 c. 1600 BC and when it passed to King Zhou
紂 王, (c.1078-1045 BC) it developed into a notorious tyranny. Its subjects were severely
exploited and they lived under oppression. Zhou 紂 only lived in his world of hunting, drinking
and women and even invented ways of torturing people as a form of entertainment. The
torture of roasting people alive by tying them to a circular copper pillar with burning charcoal
below was invented by him. (炮 烙 刑 )
His tyrannical rule had caused great opposition among his people and among the
neighbouring states. Zhou Wu Wang 周 武 王 allied with eight smaller states and led an army
across Huang He 黃 河 to attack the capital of Shang at Chao Ge 朝 歌 (present day He Nan
河 南). At Meng Jin 孟 津 the gathered army held a massive march off ceremony and the
manifesto given by Zhou Wu Wang under oath was known as Qin Shi 秦 誓. It contained the
following words: “ 一 心 一 德, 立 定 厥 功, 惟 克 永 世 。It meant “ Let all of us with one heart
and one purpose, determine to conquer our enemy and the people of the world shall live in
peace thereafter.”
The Shang army composed of slaves and prisoners of war, defected and the battle was lost by
Zhou Wang as soon as it was joined. He returned to his palace, set it on fire and died within.
That was the end of the Shang Dynasty and the beginning of another new era in China, Zhou
周 which would last for over eight centuries before unity was broken and China would plunge
again into the confusion of the Warring States.
Idiom 2 - 一 字 千 金 Each word worthy of a thousand gold pieces
After Qin Shi Huang 秦 始 皇 (Ying Zheng 嬴 政) conquered the other six states and united
China in 221 BC, he established the Qin Empire 秦 朝 with its capital at Xian Yang 咸 陽.
When Ying Zheng’s father Zhi Zho 子 楚 was a young prince, he was sent to the state of Zhou
趙 as a nominated hostage. There he met Lu Bu Wei 呂 不 韋 (290 ?-235BC) who offered to
be his mentor and financed his return to Qin and was instrumental to the plot of making him
the crown prince and the king of Qin, Zhuang Xiang Wang (秦 莊 襄 王) eventually.
On the crowning of Zhuang Xiang Wang 莊 襄 王as king, Lu呂was appointed the prime
minister of Qin and headed the administration of the government. Lu recruited to his household
three thousand guests who acted as advisors and a think-tank. They were given a free-hand
to do what they were best at and they recorded in writing the results of their studies and
findings.
In order to establish his eminence as a prime minister and his scholastic achievement, he
commissioned the writing of a book entitled “Lu Shi Chun Qiu” (Lu’s Annual) 呂 氏 春 秋. It was
both a historical record of the day and a collection of all knowledge worthy of record, including
agriculture, geology, civil construction, military thesis, various schools of philosophy and
political administration. In fact it was a first encyclopedia of China and of the world. (The first
known encyclopedia of the Western world was compiled about 2000 years later by the French
lexicographer and philosopher Diderot in the 1760’s.)
Having completed this work, Lu was highly complacent. He ordered a copy of the manuscript
to be posted on the city wall of the capital for public exhibition. A formal notice accompanied
the public exhibition, saying: “ Whoever can discover an error in the manuscript, or suggest the
deletion or addition of one character in the text shall be rewarded with a thousand gold coins.”
This became the origin of the idiom 一 字 千 金, which serves as a compliment for literary work
of the highest standard.
Idiom 3 - 月 下 老 人 The Old Man Under the Moon
In Tang Dynasty 唐 朝, there was a scholar by the name Wei Gu 韋 固. One year, he was
studying in Qing He 清 河 County and stayed at an inn. A friend suggested that he would
introduce him to the daughter of the ex-deputy prefect of the Qing He County and made an
appointment with him to be at the forecourt of Lung Men Temple 龍 門 寺 at daybreak next
morning.
Wei was very anxious and woke up before daybreak. He arrived at Lung Men Temple under
moon light and was quite surprised to find an old man sitting on the steps in front of the temple
turning the leaves of a book. Wei was curious. He approached the old man and asked,
“Elderly gentleman, what is it that you are reading so early in the morning?”
The old man replied, “This is no ordinary book. This is the marriage record of all the people in
the world.”
Then Wei asked about the bag that the old man placed beside himself. He replied, “the bag
contained red strings to tie up the feet of future couples as soon as they are born. Your feet
have been tied, why take all the trouble to seek your match.”
Wei said, “Then according to you, where is my wife and what does her family do for a living?”
The old man replied, “ She is the daughter of an elderly woman by the name Chen selling
vegetables next to your inn.”
Wei paid no heed to this strange talk and waited by the temple for the daughter of that ex-
official.
At daybreak, people started passing by. At that time, an elderly woman carrying some
vegetables with a pole came along. She was blind in one eye and was limping in one leg. She
also carried a little girl.
The old man pointing at the elderly woman, said to Wei, “The child she is carrying in her
bosom is your wife.”
Wei was displeased. He retorted back, “ You are full of nonsense. How would I marry her
child? The child is too young anyway.”
The old man smiled and soon he disappeared. Wei waited for his prospective wife to arrive
until noon but she never came.
Fourteen years on, Wei completed his studies and was appointed a high ranking official. He
married and his bride who was only seventeen.
After marriage, he found out something he could not believe, despite her background from a
gentleman’s family. She told him that when she was young, she was at one time raised by a
woman selling vegetables by the name Chen. She was half blind and had a limping leg.
Hearing that story, Wei recalled the incident in front of Lung Men Temple and believed that the
old man under the moon really spoke the truth.
Idiom 4 - 門 庭 若 市 A forecourt as busy as a market place
During the Warring States era 戰 國 時 期 , there was in the State of Qi 齊 國 a chief minister
by the name of Zou Ji 鄒 忌. He had a friend who was indisputably the most handsome man in
the city at the time called Xu Gong 徐 公 .
One day Zou asked his wife, “As compared with city north’s Xu Gong, who is more handsome,
he or I?” His wife replied, “Of course it is you, how can Xu Gong compare with you!”
Zou asked the same question of his concubine and she answered, “ Definitely you are more
handsome than he.” Zou was pleased.
The next day a guest came to his house and Zou asked, “ Compare me with Xu Gong, who is
more handsome?” The guest answered, “ Xu Gong is not as good as you.” Zou was
completely convinced.
After a while, it happened that Xu Gong came to visit him. Zou carefully observed him and
realized that he was no match with Xu Gong. Then he realized the truth: “ My wife said I am
more handsome because she loves me with prejudice. My concubine said I am more
handsome because she fears me. My guest said I am more handsome because he had
something to ask of me.”
The next day, when Zou was in Court, he told his incident at home to the King of Qi 齊 王
together with his conclusion: “ Qi has a thousand miles of land. None of your consorts and
concubines are not without prejudice in loving you. None of the ministers in court are not
without fear towards you. All Qi’s people and neighbouring states are wanting something from
you. From these, it seems that you are much more shielded from the truth than I.”
King of Qi was greatly impressed by what he heard. He instantly passed a decree: “ Anyone
who can tell me my faults and shortcomings in my presence, he deserves a top prize. Anyone
who can persuade me in writing, he’ll get a medium prize. Anyone who can criticize my faults in
front of friends and subsequently heard by me shall get a low prize.”
After the decree was issued, all sorts of ideas and comments regarding the administration of
the country came from the people of Qi and the reception of the imperial court’s office was as
busy as a market place. Because of this unstoppable channel of ideas, Qi became a much
more stronger state among its neighbours.
Idiom 5 - 一 鳴 驚 人 Once it caws, it shall be stunning
During the Warring States Era 戰 國 時 期 (720-256 BC) The King of Qi, Qi Wei Wang 齊 威 王
became king when he was rarely 30 years old. For three years he spent his days inside the
palace, drinking and having entertainment without any intention to manage his country. The
administration was in a mess.
Neighbouring states knew what was happening; and Han, Zhao and Wei all encroached onto
the lands of Qi bordering their states and Qi Wei Wang seemed to pay no attention to this
state of affairs. The ministers were all concerned but none of them were bold enough to come
forward to criticize the king’s manners.
One minister by the name of Chun Yu Kun 淳 于 髡 was an adept in talking in riddles. He knew
the king loved riddles and one day came to palace and have an audience with the king. He
said, “ In our state there is huge bird, perching inside the palace for three years. Yet it has not
flown once or even made one caw. Do you know the name of this bird?”
Qi Wei Wang knew that this riddle is an insinuation of him. He smiled and replied, “ This is not
an ordinary bird. It hasn’t flown once but once it flies, it will reach the sky 不 飛 則 己, 一 飛 沖
天. It hasn’t cawed once, but once it caws, the people of the world will be stunned .”不 鳴 則
已, 一 鳴 驚 人。
From then on the king seemed another person. He left the company of women and wine and
started earnestly dealing with matters in the administration of the country. He called up all the
country’s 72 county magistrates and gave them rewards and reprimands as appropriate. A
series of programmes were launched to increase the production of the country. The army was
reorganized and much improved. In no time, the state became orderly and prosperous. In his
reign of 37 years, Qi remained a powerful country.
Idiom 6 - 紙 上 談 兵 Military strategy on paper (Armchair generalship)
During the Warring States Era 戰 國 時 期 there was a famous general in the State of Zhao 趙
國 called Zhao She 趙 奢. He had a son Zhao Kuo 趙 括 who learned military principles since
very young and was able to discuss military strategies and affairs in detail.
But his father, General Zhao was worried and he told his wife, “Conducting a war is never as
simple as what our son says. He only knows how to do it on paper. If he leads the army to do
battle, our country will be in grave danger.”
A few years General Zhao died. Qin 秦 國 sent a large army to attack Zhao 趙 國. The General
of Zhou was Lian Po 廉 頗 who was advanced in age but a military man of great experience.
He saw the strength of the Qin army and adopted a tactic of defence. He avoided direct
confrontation and was stalling for time. He used a strategy of attrition. Knowing that the Qin
army was an expedition army and had great difficulties of supply because of its distance from
their base and by the passage of time, this would be a key problem for the intruders. As
expected by Lian, the two sides ran into a stalemate as time dragged on and the Qin army had
no advantage.
The Qin General Bai Qi 白 起 saw the situation and realized that the only way to win the war is
by espionage. He caused rumours to be circulated in Zhao to the effect that: “ Lian Po is too
old and the Qin army has no fear of him. If the Zhao army had replaced its general and Zhao
Kuo 趙 括 taken over, they would have already won the war.”
The king of Zhou, Xiao Zheng Wang 孝 成 王 heard the rumour and believed in it. He recalled
Lian Po and sent Zhou Kuo 趙 括 to replace him. Zhou’s mother heard the appointment and
remembered what her husband had said before. She pleaded with the king asking him to
cancel the appointment but to no avail. She finally asked the king to remember what she had
pleaded and if her son failed in his duties, no punishment should be applied to his family
members. The king acknowledged.
When Zhou arrived the frontline, he changed the tactics of Lian Po 廉 頗 and his main army
was besieged by the Qin soldiers without further provision support. When water and food was
running out, the Zhou army attempted a break-through which failed and Zhou Kou died in the
battle. The Zhou army of four hundred thousand strong was entirely vanquished. The Qin
army reached as far as the capital of Zhou, Han Dan 邯 鄲 which was only relieved by the joint
armies of the states of Chu 楚 and Wei 魏.
Hereafter, the idiom applies generally to situations where a plan is not practical and has no
reference to the particular circumstances, we would say that it is 紙 上 談 兵 and failure is
going to be expected.
Idiom 7 - 班 門 弄 斧 Showing off axe-manship in front of Ban
The most celebrated poet in the Tang Dynasty was Li Bai 李 白 and he was honoured as
“Poet Sage”. The story goes that one day he was well drunk with friends on a boat touring
near Cai Shi Ji 釆 石 磯. He saw a clear moon floating in the river and tried to retrieve it. In the
act he fell into the river and was drown. His friends buried him near the place and in order to
commemorate him, the place had become a tourists’ spot, with buildings such as Fairy’s Tower
謫 仙 樓 and Moon Fetching Pavilion 捉 月 亭.
For centuries after, poets all over China who came to visit the tomb of Li Bai to pay him
homage tended to leave their poetry there on anything they could write on, making a mess with
their graffiti of mediocre talents.
When it came to Ming Dynasty 明 朝, a poet named Mei Zhi Huan 梅 之 煥 came along and
was utterly appalled by the state of affairs and he too left a poem as follows:
釆 石 江 邊 一 堆 土 , 李 白 之 名 高 千 古;
來 來 往 往 一 首 詩 , 魯 班 門 前 弄 大 斧。
Which can be translated as:
Next to Cai Shi River laid a man,
Li Bai, a name for eternity will stand.
Idle poets making graffiti came and went,
Waving their axes in front of Lu Ban.
(Note: Lu Ban 魯 班 is Kungsun Ban 公 孫 班 of the state of Lu 魯 國. He was famous for his
engineering work and craftsmanship in carpentry. So, waving axes in front of him was an
arrogant way of demonstrating one’s talent in axe-manship.)
Thereafter, 班 門 弄 斧 became an idiom to describe people boasting their talents impenitently
in front of experts in their field without realizing their own ignorance and mediocrity.
Idiom 8 - 一 箭 雙 雕 Shooting two buzzards with one arrow
In the North-South Dynasties Era 南 北 朝, there was in the state of Bei Zhou 北 周 a famous
general called Zhangsun Cheng 長 孫 晟 . He was an adept in archery and the best in the
whole of northern China.
There was a tribe to the north-west of China called Tu Jue 突 厥. Its leader was She Tu 攝 圖.
He suggested that for the purpose of keeping peace between the two countries, he would ask
for the hand of a Chinese princess. Huan Di 宣 帝 of Bei Zhou acceded to his request and
ordered a princess to marry him. Zhangsun Cheng was assigned as the commander of the
escort party for the marriage.
She Tu was delighted to receive the princess’ party and greatly impressed by the spirited air of
Zhangsun Cheng. He asked him to stay longer in Tu Jue. On one occasion when the two men
were leading a hunting party into the wilderness, they saw two large buzzards in the air
tussling fiercely for a prey in their beaks.
She Tu pointing at the buzzards said to Zhangsun Cheng, “ I heard you are the best known
archer in the whole of Bei Zhou. I really want to learn something today. Can you down those
buzzards for me?” While speaking, She Tu handed Cheng two arrows.
Zhangsun Cheng took one of them, saying, “One is enough.”
He urged his horse forward, chose a suitable angle and fired his arrow. It went straight through
both buzzards which plummeted to the ground.
She Tu was stunned and he exclaimed. “ I had no idea that there is such archery in this world,
one arrow downing two buzzards! Your name as the best archer is well-earned.”
The idiom 一 箭 雙 雕 is now used to describe an action which will achieve two objectives at
the same time.
Idiom 9 - 天 涯 海 角 At world’s end
Han Yu 韓 愈 was a famous scholar in the mid-Tang dynasty 唐朝中期. He became an orphan
at the age of three and lived under the roof of his brother and sister-in-law. His brother Han
Hui 韓 會 was without any children and they took into the family one fostered child. This child
was one year junior than Han Yu and because he ranked 12 in the list of siblings, therefore he
was called 十 二 郎, the Twelve Lad.
When Han Yu was eleven, his elder brother Han Hui was demoted as the prefect of Shaozhou
韶 州 剌 史 and he died of illness only a few months after taking that office. Except Twelve
Lad, Han Yu had no other close relatives. The boys were alone most of the time and the only
thing they had was each other. They shared the same food by day and slept on the same bed
by night. In this manner they lived like body and shadow for eight years.
By the age of 19, Han Yu left his home village for the capital to take his national exams and
thereafter had no chance to meet Twelve Lad again but he was always in deep memory of the
days he spent with him.
Later when Han Yu was in his mid forties, he was prefect of Zhiaozhou 潮 州. He was shocked
when he heard, in a roundabout way, the news of the death of Twelve Lad, survived by his
wife and an infant son. In great sorrow, he wrote an elegy for Twelve Lad known as 祭 十 二
郎 文. This piece became a famous classic, ranking undoubtedly the first of its kind filled with
emotion, compassion and sincerity. It is a passage that one cannot read without tears flowing
either in ones eyes or in ones soul.
It contained the following:
“..不 能 與 汝 相 養 以 生 , 相 守 以 死 。一 在 天 之 涯 , 一 在 地 之 角 。 生 而 影 不 與 吾 形
相 依 , 死 而 魂 不 與 吾 夢 相 接 。”
An English translation cannot capture a fraction of its force of emotion but the following is an
attempt:
“ While living, I could not take care of your well-being;
When dead, I could not watch over your body.
One was at the end of Heaven,
The other, corner of the Earth.
Living, your shadow was not attached to me;
Dead, your soul did not come to meet my dreams.”
Thereafter, 天 涯 海 角 became a phrase used to describe the enormity of distance separating
persons with affection.
Idiom 10 - 世 外 桃 源 Utopia in this world
In Jin dynasty 晉 朝 a great scholar Tao Yuan Ming 陶 淵 明 has written an essay entitled 桃
花 源 記 “The spring of peach blossom”. It described an extraordinary incident encountered by
a fisherman of Wu Ling 武 陵 in Hunan 湖 南. The story goes like this.
One day a fisherman was rowing his little boat upstream. After a time which he could not
remember, he saw on a grassy bank, a huge bush of peach trees with blossoms. He was quite
amazed at the beauty of the scenery. He continued rowing and came to a small hill with a little
cave opening. Being curious, he alighted from his boat, climbed into the cave and found that
the entrance was dark and narrow. After scores of paces, light began to appear on the far end
and the cave widened. On getting out of the cave, he suddenly saw an extensive meadow.
There were fields everywhere and the houses were orderly arranged, with mulberries and
bamboos surrounding them. It was peaceful and refreshingly green.
There were people working in the fields and children playing. It was the picture of a lively,
prosperous and happy community. When the village people saw the fisherman wandering into
their village, they were at first totally surprised. People gathered to talk to him and through the
conversation, it transpired that their ancestors were Qin 秦 people and because of the
hardships of war, the entire village retreated into this secretive place.
When the fisherman told them that the Qin wars had ended centuries ago and after Qin there
was Han dynasty 漢 朝 and now Jin dynasty 晉 朝 . The villagers were dumb-founded. They
had not the slightest idea what had gone on in the outside world for almost five hundred years.
The villagers eagerly entertained him in order to listen to his stories and everyday the village
elders each took him as guest in their houses. When the fisherman finally wanted to take leave
after many days, they gave him a very warm farewell. He was told, however, not to mention the
place to outsiders.
The fisherman retraced his footsteps, making marks wherever he could, found his boat and
hurriedly drifted downstream. On arriving home, he reported the strange encounter to the
prefect of the county. A team of people took the fisherman back to where he left his boat but
were unable to find the way again to this place.
Whenever we describe a place as 世 外 桃 源 we mean some place in this world, which is
tranquil, peaceful, free from war and troubles.
The Shang 商 Dynasty was founded by Tong 湯 c. 1600 BC and when it passed to King Zhou
紂 王, (c.1078-1045 BC) it developed into a notorious tyranny. Its subjects were severely
exploited and they lived under oppression. Zhou 紂 only lived in his world of hunting, drinking
and women and even invented ways of torturing people as a form of entertainment. The
torture of roasting people alive by tying them to a circular copper pillar with burning charcoal
below was invented by him. (炮 烙 刑 )
His tyrannical rule had caused great opposition among his people and among the
neighbouring states. Zhou Wu Wang 周 武 王 allied with eight smaller states and led an army
across Huang He 黃 河 to attack the capital of Shang at Chao Ge 朝 歌 (present day He Nan
河 南). At Meng Jin 孟 津 the gathered army held a massive march off ceremony and the
manifesto given by Zhou Wu Wang under oath was known as Qin Shi 秦 誓. It contained the
following words: “ 一 心 一 德, 立 定 厥 功, 惟 克 永 世 。It meant “ Let all of us with one heart
and one purpose, determine to conquer our enemy and the people of the world shall live in
peace thereafter.”
The Shang army composed of slaves and prisoners of war, defected and the battle was lost by
Zhou Wang as soon as it was joined. He returned to his palace, set it on fire and died within.
That was the end of the Shang Dynasty and the beginning of another new era in China, Zhou
周 which would last for over eight centuries before unity was broken and China would plunge
again into the confusion of the Warring States.
Idiom 2 - 一 字 千 金 Each word worthy of a thousand gold pieces
After Qin Shi Huang 秦 始 皇 (Ying Zheng 嬴 政) conquered the other six states and united
China in 221 BC, he established the Qin Empire 秦 朝 with its capital at Xian Yang 咸 陽.
When Ying Zheng’s father Zhi Zho 子 楚 was a young prince, he was sent to the state of Zhou
趙 as a nominated hostage. There he met Lu Bu Wei 呂 不 韋 (290 ?-235BC) who offered to
be his mentor and financed his return to Qin and was instrumental to the plot of making him
the crown prince and the king of Qin, Zhuang Xiang Wang (秦 莊 襄 王) eventually.
On the crowning of Zhuang Xiang Wang 莊 襄 王as king, Lu呂was appointed the prime
minister of Qin and headed the administration of the government. Lu recruited to his household
three thousand guests who acted as advisors and a think-tank. They were given a free-hand
to do what they were best at and they recorded in writing the results of their studies and
findings.
In order to establish his eminence as a prime minister and his scholastic achievement, he
commissioned the writing of a book entitled “Lu Shi Chun Qiu” (Lu’s Annual) 呂 氏 春 秋. It was
both a historical record of the day and a collection of all knowledge worthy of record, including
agriculture, geology, civil construction, military thesis, various schools of philosophy and
political administration. In fact it was a first encyclopedia of China and of the world. (The first
known encyclopedia of the Western world was compiled about 2000 years later by the French
lexicographer and philosopher Diderot in the 1760’s.)
Having completed this work, Lu was highly complacent. He ordered a copy of the manuscript
to be posted on the city wall of the capital for public exhibition. A formal notice accompanied
the public exhibition, saying: “ Whoever can discover an error in the manuscript, or suggest the
deletion or addition of one character in the text shall be rewarded with a thousand gold coins.”
This became the origin of the idiom 一 字 千 金, which serves as a compliment for literary work
of the highest standard.
Idiom 3 - 月 下 老 人 The Old Man Under the Moon
In Tang Dynasty 唐 朝, there was a scholar by the name Wei Gu 韋 固. One year, he was
studying in Qing He 清 河 County and stayed at an inn. A friend suggested that he would
introduce him to the daughter of the ex-deputy prefect of the Qing He County and made an
appointment with him to be at the forecourt of Lung Men Temple 龍 門 寺 at daybreak next
morning.
Wei was very anxious and woke up before daybreak. He arrived at Lung Men Temple under
moon light and was quite surprised to find an old man sitting on the steps in front of the temple
turning the leaves of a book. Wei was curious. He approached the old man and asked,
“Elderly gentleman, what is it that you are reading so early in the morning?”
The old man replied, “This is no ordinary book. This is the marriage record of all the people in
the world.”
Then Wei asked about the bag that the old man placed beside himself. He replied, “the bag
contained red strings to tie up the feet of future couples as soon as they are born. Your feet
have been tied, why take all the trouble to seek your match.”
Wei said, “Then according to you, where is my wife and what does her family do for a living?”
The old man replied, “ She is the daughter of an elderly woman by the name Chen selling
vegetables next to your inn.”
Wei paid no heed to this strange talk and waited by the temple for the daughter of that ex-
official.
At daybreak, people started passing by. At that time, an elderly woman carrying some
vegetables with a pole came along. She was blind in one eye and was limping in one leg. She
also carried a little girl.
The old man pointing at the elderly woman, said to Wei, “The child she is carrying in her
bosom is your wife.”
Wei was displeased. He retorted back, “ You are full of nonsense. How would I marry her
child? The child is too young anyway.”
The old man smiled and soon he disappeared. Wei waited for his prospective wife to arrive
until noon but she never came.
Fourteen years on, Wei completed his studies and was appointed a high ranking official. He
married and his bride who was only seventeen.
After marriage, he found out something he could not believe, despite her background from a
gentleman’s family. She told him that when she was young, she was at one time raised by a
woman selling vegetables by the name Chen. She was half blind and had a limping leg.
Hearing that story, Wei recalled the incident in front of Lung Men Temple and believed that the
old man under the moon really spoke the truth.
Idiom 4 - 門 庭 若 市 A forecourt as busy as a market place
During the Warring States era 戰 國 時 期 , there was in the State of Qi 齊 國 a chief minister
by the name of Zou Ji 鄒 忌. He had a friend who was indisputably the most handsome man in
the city at the time called Xu Gong 徐 公 .
One day Zou asked his wife, “As compared with city north’s Xu Gong, who is more handsome,
he or I?” His wife replied, “Of course it is you, how can Xu Gong compare with you!”
Zou asked the same question of his concubine and she answered, “ Definitely you are more
handsome than he.” Zou was pleased.
The next day a guest came to his house and Zou asked, “ Compare me with Xu Gong, who is
more handsome?” The guest answered, “ Xu Gong is not as good as you.” Zou was
completely convinced.
After a while, it happened that Xu Gong came to visit him. Zou carefully observed him and
realized that he was no match with Xu Gong. Then he realized the truth: “ My wife said I am
more handsome because she loves me with prejudice. My concubine said I am more
handsome because she fears me. My guest said I am more handsome because he had
something to ask of me.”
The next day, when Zou was in Court, he told his incident at home to the King of Qi 齊 王
together with his conclusion: “ Qi has a thousand miles of land. None of your consorts and
concubines are not without prejudice in loving you. None of the ministers in court are not
without fear towards you. All Qi’s people and neighbouring states are wanting something from
you. From these, it seems that you are much more shielded from the truth than I.”
King of Qi was greatly impressed by what he heard. He instantly passed a decree: “ Anyone
who can tell me my faults and shortcomings in my presence, he deserves a top prize. Anyone
who can persuade me in writing, he’ll get a medium prize. Anyone who can criticize my faults in
front of friends and subsequently heard by me shall get a low prize.”
After the decree was issued, all sorts of ideas and comments regarding the administration of
the country came from the people of Qi and the reception of the imperial court’s office was as
busy as a market place. Because of this unstoppable channel of ideas, Qi became a much
more stronger state among its neighbours.
Idiom 5 - 一 鳴 驚 人 Once it caws, it shall be stunning
During the Warring States Era 戰 國 時 期 (720-256 BC) The King of Qi, Qi Wei Wang 齊 威 王
became king when he was rarely 30 years old. For three years he spent his days inside the
palace, drinking and having entertainment without any intention to manage his country. The
administration was in a mess.
Neighbouring states knew what was happening; and Han, Zhao and Wei all encroached onto
the lands of Qi bordering their states and Qi Wei Wang seemed to pay no attention to this
state of affairs. The ministers were all concerned but none of them were bold enough to come
forward to criticize the king’s manners.
One minister by the name of Chun Yu Kun 淳 于 髡 was an adept in talking in riddles. He knew
the king loved riddles and one day came to palace and have an audience with the king. He
said, “ In our state there is huge bird, perching inside the palace for three years. Yet it has not
flown once or even made one caw. Do you know the name of this bird?”
Qi Wei Wang knew that this riddle is an insinuation of him. He smiled and replied, “ This is not
an ordinary bird. It hasn’t flown once but once it flies, it will reach the sky 不 飛 則 己, 一 飛 沖
天. It hasn’t cawed once, but once it caws, the people of the world will be stunned .”不 鳴 則
已, 一 鳴 驚 人。
From then on the king seemed another person. He left the company of women and wine and
started earnestly dealing with matters in the administration of the country. He called up all the
country’s 72 county magistrates and gave them rewards and reprimands as appropriate. A
series of programmes were launched to increase the production of the country. The army was
reorganized and much improved. In no time, the state became orderly and prosperous. In his
reign of 37 years, Qi remained a powerful country.
Idiom 6 - 紙 上 談 兵 Military strategy on paper (Armchair generalship)
During the Warring States Era 戰 國 時 期 there was a famous general in the State of Zhao 趙
國 called Zhao She 趙 奢. He had a son Zhao Kuo 趙 括 who learned military principles since
very young and was able to discuss military strategies and affairs in detail.
But his father, General Zhao was worried and he told his wife, “Conducting a war is never as
simple as what our son says. He only knows how to do it on paper. If he leads the army to do
battle, our country will be in grave danger.”
A few years General Zhao died. Qin 秦 國 sent a large army to attack Zhao 趙 國. The General
of Zhou was Lian Po 廉 頗 who was advanced in age but a military man of great experience.
He saw the strength of the Qin army and adopted a tactic of defence. He avoided direct
confrontation and was stalling for time. He used a strategy of attrition. Knowing that the Qin
army was an expedition army and had great difficulties of supply because of its distance from
their base and by the passage of time, this would be a key problem for the intruders. As
expected by Lian, the two sides ran into a stalemate as time dragged on and the Qin army had
no advantage.
The Qin General Bai Qi 白 起 saw the situation and realized that the only way to win the war is
by espionage. He caused rumours to be circulated in Zhao to the effect that: “ Lian Po is too
old and the Qin army has no fear of him. If the Zhao army had replaced its general and Zhao
Kuo 趙 括 taken over, they would have already won the war.”
The king of Zhou, Xiao Zheng Wang 孝 成 王 heard the rumour and believed in it. He recalled
Lian Po and sent Zhou Kuo 趙 括 to replace him. Zhou’s mother heard the appointment and
remembered what her husband had said before. She pleaded with the king asking him to
cancel the appointment but to no avail. She finally asked the king to remember what she had
pleaded and if her son failed in his duties, no punishment should be applied to his family
members. The king acknowledged.
When Zhou arrived the frontline, he changed the tactics of Lian Po 廉 頗 and his main army
was besieged by the Qin soldiers without further provision support. When water and food was
running out, the Zhou army attempted a break-through which failed and Zhou Kou died in the
battle. The Zhou army of four hundred thousand strong was entirely vanquished. The Qin
army reached as far as the capital of Zhou, Han Dan 邯 鄲 which was only relieved by the joint
armies of the states of Chu 楚 and Wei 魏.
Hereafter, the idiom applies generally to situations where a plan is not practical and has no
reference to the particular circumstances, we would say that it is 紙 上 談 兵 and failure is
going to be expected.
Idiom 7 - 班 門 弄 斧 Showing off axe-manship in front of Ban
The most celebrated poet in the Tang Dynasty was Li Bai 李 白 and he was honoured as
“Poet Sage”. The story goes that one day he was well drunk with friends on a boat touring
near Cai Shi Ji 釆 石 磯. He saw a clear moon floating in the river and tried to retrieve it. In the
act he fell into the river and was drown. His friends buried him near the place and in order to
commemorate him, the place had become a tourists’ spot, with buildings such as Fairy’s Tower
謫 仙 樓 and Moon Fetching Pavilion 捉 月 亭.
For centuries after, poets all over China who came to visit the tomb of Li Bai to pay him
homage tended to leave their poetry there on anything they could write on, making a mess with
their graffiti of mediocre talents.
When it came to Ming Dynasty 明 朝, a poet named Mei Zhi Huan 梅 之 煥 came along and
was utterly appalled by the state of affairs and he too left a poem as follows:
釆 石 江 邊 一 堆 土 , 李 白 之 名 高 千 古;
來 來 往 往 一 首 詩 , 魯 班 門 前 弄 大 斧。
Which can be translated as:
Next to Cai Shi River laid a man,
Li Bai, a name for eternity will stand.
Idle poets making graffiti came and went,
Waving their axes in front of Lu Ban.
(Note: Lu Ban 魯 班 is Kungsun Ban 公 孫 班 of the state of Lu 魯 國. He was famous for his
engineering work and craftsmanship in carpentry. So, waving axes in front of him was an
arrogant way of demonstrating one’s talent in axe-manship.)
Thereafter, 班 門 弄 斧 became an idiom to describe people boasting their talents impenitently
in front of experts in their field without realizing their own ignorance and mediocrity.
Idiom 8 - 一 箭 雙 雕 Shooting two buzzards with one arrow
In the North-South Dynasties Era 南 北 朝, there was in the state of Bei Zhou 北 周 a famous
general called Zhangsun Cheng 長 孫 晟 . He was an adept in archery and the best in the
whole of northern China.
There was a tribe to the north-west of China called Tu Jue 突 厥. Its leader was She Tu 攝 圖.
He suggested that for the purpose of keeping peace between the two countries, he would ask
for the hand of a Chinese princess. Huan Di 宣 帝 of Bei Zhou acceded to his request and
ordered a princess to marry him. Zhangsun Cheng was assigned as the commander of the
escort party for the marriage.
She Tu was delighted to receive the princess’ party and greatly impressed by the spirited air of
Zhangsun Cheng. He asked him to stay longer in Tu Jue. On one occasion when the two men
were leading a hunting party into the wilderness, they saw two large buzzards in the air
tussling fiercely for a prey in their beaks.
She Tu pointing at the buzzards said to Zhangsun Cheng, “ I heard you are the best known
archer in the whole of Bei Zhou. I really want to learn something today. Can you down those
buzzards for me?” While speaking, She Tu handed Cheng two arrows.
Zhangsun Cheng took one of them, saying, “One is enough.”
He urged his horse forward, chose a suitable angle and fired his arrow. It went straight through
both buzzards which plummeted to the ground.
She Tu was stunned and he exclaimed. “ I had no idea that there is such archery in this world,
one arrow downing two buzzards! Your name as the best archer is well-earned.”
The idiom 一 箭 雙 雕 is now used to describe an action which will achieve two objectives at
the same time.
Idiom 9 - 天 涯 海 角 At world’s end
Han Yu 韓 愈 was a famous scholar in the mid-Tang dynasty 唐朝中期. He became an orphan
at the age of three and lived under the roof of his brother and sister-in-law. His brother Han
Hui 韓 會 was without any children and they took into the family one fostered child. This child
was one year junior than Han Yu and because he ranked 12 in the list of siblings, therefore he
was called 十 二 郎, the Twelve Lad.
When Han Yu was eleven, his elder brother Han Hui was demoted as the prefect of Shaozhou
韶 州 剌 史 and he died of illness only a few months after taking that office. Except Twelve
Lad, Han Yu had no other close relatives. The boys were alone most of the time and the only
thing they had was each other. They shared the same food by day and slept on the same bed
by night. In this manner they lived like body and shadow for eight years.
By the age of 19, Han Yu left his home village for the capital to take his national exams and
thereafter had no chance to meet Twelve Lad again but he was always in deep memory of the
days he spent with him.
Later when Han Yu was in his mid forties, he was prefect of Zhiaozhou 潮 州. He was shocked
when he heard, in a roundabout way, the news of the death of Twelve Lad, survived by his
wife and an infant son. In great sorrow, he wrote an elegy for Twelve Lad known as 祭 十 二
郎 文. This piece became a famous classic, ranking undoubtedly the first of its kind filled with
emotion, compassion and sincerity. It is a passage that one cannot read without tears flowing
either in ones eyes or in ones soul.
It contained the following:
“..不 能 與 汝 相 養 以 生 , 相 守 以 死 。一 在 天 之 涯 , 一 在 地 之 角 。 生 而 影 不 與 吾 形
相 依 , 死 而 魂 不 與 吾 夢 相 接 。”
An English translation cannot capture a fraction of its force of emotion but the following is an
attempt:
“ While living, I could not take care of your well-being;
When dead, I could not watch over your body.
One was at the end of Heaven,
The other, corner of the Earth.
Living, your shadow was not attached to me;
Dead, your soul did not come to meet my dreams.”
Thereafter, 天 涯 海 角 became a phrase used to describe the enormity of distance separating
persons with affection.
Idiom 10 - 世 外 桃 源 Utopia in this world
In Jin dynasty 晉 朝 a great scholar Tao Yuan Ming 陶 淵 明 has written an essay entitled 桃
花 源 記 “The spring of peach blossom”. It described an extraordinary incident encountered by
a fisherman of Wu Ling 武 陵 in Hunan 湖 南. The story goes like this.
One day a fisherman was rowing his little boat upstream. After a time which he could not
remember, he saw on a grassy bank, a huge bush of peach trees with blossoms. He was quite
amazed at the beauty of the scenery. He continued rowing and came to a small hill with a little
cave opening. Being curious, he alighted from his boat, climbed into the cave and found that
the entrance was dark and narrow. After scores of paces, light began to appear on the far end
and the cave widened. On getting out of the cave, he suddenly saw an extensive meadow.
There were fields everywhere and the houses were orderly arranged, with mulberries and
bamboos surrounding them. It was peaceful and refreshingly green.
There were people working in the fields and children playing. It was the picture of a lively,
prosperous and happy community. When the village people saw the fisherman wandering into
their village, they were at first totally surprised. People gathered to talk to him and through the
conversation, it transpired that their ancestors were Qin 秦 people and because of the
hardships of war, the entire village retreated into this secretive place.
When the fisherman told them that the Qin wars had ended centuries ago and after Qin there
was Han dynasty 漢 朝 and now Jin dynasty 晉 朝 . The villagers were dumb-founded. They
had not the slightest idea what had gone on in the outside world for almost five hundred years.
The villagers eagerly entertained him in order to listen to his stories and everyday the village
elders each took him as guest in their houses. When the fisherman finally wanted to take leave
after many days, they gave him a very warm farewell. He was told, however, not to mention the
place to outsiders.
The fisherman retraced his footsteps, making marks wherever he could, found his boat and
hurriedly drifted downstream. On arriving home, he reported the strange encounter to the
prefect of the county. A team of people took the fisherman back to where he left his boat but
were unable to find the way again to this place.
Whenever we describe a place as 世 外 桃 源 we mean some place in this world, which is
tranquil, peaceful, free from war and troubles.
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CHINESE CHINESE
Chinese Idioms
told by YK Kwan
all rights reserved
told by YK Kwan
all rights reserved
Martial art fiction
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Chinese beauties
Home cooking recipes
Legends
Female emperor
Threatening myths
A remarkable woman
A lustful woman
"Thunderstorm"
Chinese music
Panda in motion
Fairylands in China
Chinese opera