Jan 2008
积非成是 - Don't Cry Wolf
14/01/08 00:48
积非成是
Jī fěi chéng shì
I chose this one because it is similar to a western idiom: "Don't cry wolf." While it doesn't necessarily convey the same negative - there is not "don't" I'd guess that lies are seen as wrong no matter the culture, and thus an inherent meaning of the Chinese idiom is: watch what you spread around, people might believe it.
Another reason for me to choose this idiom was that it uses “成” alone, a character that I have as yet encountered only as a part of other words. The usage in this idiom means "becomes." It is a word I've learned at university, but haven't seen used very often.
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Jī fěi chéng shì
- A lie, if passed on for a long time, might become truth.
I chose this one because it is similar to a western idiom: "Don't cry wolf." While it doesn't necessarily convey the same negative - there is not "don't" I'd guess that lies are seen as wrong no matter the culture, and thus an inherent meaning of the Chinese idiom is: watch what you spread around, people might believe it.
Another reason for me to choose this idiom was that it uses “成” alone, a character that I have as yet encountered only as a part of other words. The usage in this idiom means "becomes." It is a word I've learned at university, but haven't seen used very often.
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入乡随俗 - As the Romans Do
11/01/08 05:36
