Culture
对牛弹琴 - Like Talking to A Post
20/09/08 18:54
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对牛弹琴
duì niǔ tán qín
This is another of my favourites that I unfortunately don't get a chance to use often. I "rediscovered" it while testing the Top Ten Viewed Idioms page that I recently made - it was the most viewed by a long shot.
I like this idiom for two reasons: its meaning is amusing and cutting when used properly, and it's the only idiom I've ever overhead someone (who didn't think I'd understand them) use in normal speech - describing a certain group of people learning Chinese, who where ... a little slower than average.
This idiom's literal translation is pretty close to its English twin: "Playing piano for a cow". Its English twin being: "Like talking to a post / To cast pearls before swine".
See why I think it's amusing?
This idiom is wonderful. Can you imagine someone sitting in a paddock with a Grand Piano, playing their heart out to a herd of cattle? Maybe I'm weird, but I can, and it amuses me greatly. And some conversations, or attempts to teach certain people can be very similar to that - with less mooing.
So next time you're exasperated at another's inability to grasp a simple concept, or their general lack of mental celerity, think to yourself "对牛弹琴" (but try not to say it out loud, at least to the subject of the "praise")!
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对牛弹琴
duì niǔ tán qín
This is another of my favourites that I unfortunately don't get a chance to use often. I "rediscovered" it while testing the Top Ten Viewed Idioms page that I recently made - it was the most viewed by a long shot.
I like this idiom for two reasons: its meaning is amusing and cutting when used properly, and it's the only idiom I've ever overhead someone (who didn't think I'd understand them) use in normal speech - describing a certain group of people learning Chinese, who where ... a little slower than average.
This idiom's literal translation is pretty close to its English twin: "Playing piano for a cow". Its English twin being: "Like talking to a post / To cast pearls before swine".
See why I think it's amusing?
This idiom is wonderful. Can you imagine someone sitting in a paddock with a Grand Piano, playing their heart out to a herd of cattle? Maybe I'm weird, but I can, and it amuses me greatly. And some conversations, or attempts to teach certain people can be very similar to that - with less mooing.
So next time you're exasperated at another's inability to grasp a simple concept, or their general lack of mental celerity, think to yourself "对牛弹琴" (but try not to say it out loud, at least to the subject of the "praise")!
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百尺竿头，更进一步 - Achieved a Lot, Still More to Do
27/07/08 00:26
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百尺竿头，更进一步
Bǎi chǐ gān tóu, gèng jìn yī bù
I like this idiom a lot. Not only is it easy for me to remember, but it is applicable to many situations - especially when one wants to convey both praise at an accomplishment, and a gentle reminder that there is still more to go before finishing. Its literal translation is “One hundred foot pole, still more to go”. See why it is easy for me to remember? The implied meanig of the idiom should be fairly obvious, but for completeness I’ll describe it here: “come a long way/achieved a lot, but there is still a way to go”. A more idiomatic translation could be: “done well to get this far, but there is more to go yet”.
I like “one hundred foot pole, still more to go” the most.
Sometimes, when working on a large or complicated project (or, shudder, a project that is both), even making it halfway can feel like a great achievement. When that point is reached, it is often satisfying to take a break and review the work already done. When I do this now, I have “百尺竿头，更进一步” repeating in my head. I’m not sure what effect it has on my morale, but it does make me feel better about my Chinese language acquisition progress.
I suppose one would feel a similar emotion to that experienced at the half-way point of a large project if one managed to climb half-way up a two hundred foot pole? Or maybe I have it all wrong, and the one hundred foot pole part is referring to the construction of a one hundred foot pole?
Hmm.
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百尺竿头，更进一步
Bǎi chǐ gān tóu, gèng jìn yī bù
I like this idiom a lot. Not only is it easy for me to remember, but it is applicable to many situations - especially when one wants to convey both praise at an accomplishment, and a gentle reminder that there is still more to go before finishing. Its literal translation is “One hundred foot pole, still more to go”. See why it is easy for me to remember? The implied meanig of the idiom should be fairly obvious, but for completeness I’ll describe it here: “come a long way/achieved a lot, but there is still a way to go”. A more idiomatic translation could be: “done well to get this far, but there is more to go yet”.
I like “one hundred foot pole, still more to go” the most.
Sometimes, when working on a large or complicated project (or, shudder, a project that is both), even making it halfway can feel like a great achievement. When that point is reached, it is often satisfying to take a break and review the work already done. When I do this now, I have “百尺竿头，更进一步” repeating in my head. I’m not sure what effect it has on my morale, but it does make me feel better about my Chinese language acquisition progress.
I suppose one would feel a similar emotion to that experienced at the half-way point of a large project if one managed to climb half-way up a two hundred foot pole? Or maybe I have it all wrong, and the one hundred foot pole part is referring to the construction of a one hundred foot pole?
Hmm.
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打退堂鼓 - Quit Midway
23/07/08 12:53
打退堂鼓
Dǎ tuì táng gǔ
So, back to the idiom.
Here is an example of its use:
虽然我正在做的编程很难，但是我不要打退堂鼓！
Although my programming is very difficult, I won’t give up half-way through!
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Dǎ tuì táng gǔ
- (Describing a court official in feudal days) To dismiss a court session by beating a drum.
- I thought this idiom was particularly pertinent to the situation I find myself in at the moment. A few weeks ago I started
So, back to the idiom.
Here is an example of its use:
虽然我正在做的编程很难，但是我不要打退堂鼓！
Although my programming is very difficult, I won’t give up half-way through!
(0 Comments)
杀鸡儆猴 - Kill the Chicken!
15/03/08 12:16
杀鸡儆猴
Shā jī jǐng hóu
Literally, "kill the chicken, warn the monkey."
Used to mean, kill A to make an example to B. I don't think I need to tell you, aside from the indignation of being called a chicken or monkey, that isn't the only reason you don't want to be on the receiving end of this phrase!
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Shā jī jǐng hóu
Literally, "kill the chicken, warn the monkey."
Used to mean, kill A to make an example to B. I don't think I need to tell you, aside from the indignation of being called a chicken or monkey, that isn't the only reason you don't want to be on the receiving end of this phrase!
(0 Comments)
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.
(0 Comments)
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.
(0 Comments)
入乡随俗 - As the Romans Do
11/01/08 05:36
雷打不动 - Thunder and Lightning
18/12/07 18:32
见风使舵 - See How the Cat Jumps
18/12/07 18:21
