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Articles tagged with: Chengyu

Satire »

[2 Feb 2009 | No Comment | 145 views]

Storyteller: Today I will tell a story about a world-wide popular idiom. According to wikipedia, there are at least 29 different versions of this idiom in different languages. The English version is: “Pot calling the kettle black”.
50 steps laughing at 100 steps
During the Warring States Period of China, there was a king in the state of Liang. He liked to drive his people into war fighting with neighboring states. One day, he met Mencius, and asked: “As a king, I think I govern the state fairly well.  If there is …

Satire »

[20 Jan 2009 | 2 Comments | 19 views]

Storyteller: “There is no free lunch”, “Pie in the sky”.  We all know these phrases. They tell us to take efforts and work hard towards our goal; and don’t depend on luckiness or miracle.  There is a Chinese edition of story for the same idea, and IMHO, it’s more vivid and fun than the two phrases.
Waiting for more hares to dash dead against the stump

This story happened more than 2,000 years ago, in the Warring States period of China (475-221B.C.).  There was a young farmer in the state of Song.  …