Chinese Idiom: 夜以继日 (Ye Yi Ji Ri) English Translation: Night following day pīn yīn: yè yǐ jì rì Idiom Meaning: This idiom metaphorically describes working tirelessly, day and night, without a break. Historical Source: “Mencius” (《孟子 · 离娄》). Idiom Story: The idiom has its origins in the historical figure Ji Dan, also known as the […]
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Chinese Idiom: 画龙点睛 (Hua Long Dian Jing) English Translation: Drawing a dragon and dotting its eyes pīn yīn: huà lóng diǎn jīng Idiom Meaning: This idiom metaphorically describes the act of highlighting key points in speech or writing that bring the entire work to life and add depth, clarity, and vividness. Historical Source: “Records of
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Chinese Idiom: 画蛇添足 (Hua She Tian Zu) English Translation: Adding feet to a snake pīn yīn: huà shé tiān zú Idiom Meaning: This idiom describes the act of being overly clever or imaginative, resulting in unnecessary additions that complicate a situation, ultimately leading to failure. Historical Source: “Strategies of the Warring States” (《战国策 · 齐策二》).
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Chinese Idiom: 画中有诗 (Hua Zhong You Shi) English Translation: Poetry within the painting pīn yīn: huà zhōng yǒu shī Idiom Meaning: This idiom describes a painting that is rich in poetic imagery and sentiment. Historical Source: Su Shi’s commentary in “Dongpo’s Notes on Wang Wei’s Painting of Blue Pass and Misty Rain” (《东坡题跋·书摩诘〈蓝关烟雨图〉》). Idiom Story:
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Chinese Idiom: 拔苗助长 (Ba Miao Zhu Zhang) English Translation: Pulling up seedlings to help them grow pīn yīn: bá miáo zhù zhǎng Idiom Meaning: This idiom describes the folly of trying to rush progress or achieve results quickly, which ultimately leads to negative consequences. Historical Source: “Mencius” (《孟子》) by the philosopher Mencius (Mengzi). Idiom Story:
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Chinese Idiom: 沉鱼落雁 (Chen Yu Luo Yan) English Translation: Fish Sink and Wild Geese Fall pīn yīn: chén yú luò yàn Idiom Meaning: This idiom describes the extraordinary beauty of a woman, suggesting that her beauty is so striking that fish would sink and geese would fall from the sky. Historical Source: “Zhuangzi” (《庄子》), specifically
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Chinese Idiom: 抛砖引玉 (Pao Zhuang Yin Yu) English Translation: Throwing a brick to attract jade pīn yīn: pāo zhuān yǐn yù Idiom Meaning: This idiom refers to the act of offering a simple or crude idea or work in hopes of eliciting a better or more profound response from others. It carries a sense of
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Chinese Idiom: 邯郸学步 (Han Dan Xue Bu) English Translation: Learning to walk in Handan pīn yīn: hán dān xué bù Idiom Meaning: This idiom refers to the act of awkwardly trying to imitate others, leading to failure and often resulting in embarrassing situations. Historical Source: Zhuangzi: Autumn Waters (《庄子·秋水》). Idiom Story: During the Warring States
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Chinese Idiom: 每况愈下 (Mei Kuang Yu Xia) English Translation: The situation worsens progressively pīn yīn: měi kuàng yù xià Idiom Meaning: This idiom describes a situation that is continually deteriorating, often carrying a negative connotation. Historical Source: huangzi: Knowledge of the Northern Journey (《庄子·知北游》). Idiom Story: Zhuangzi, whose real name was Zhou, was a prominent
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Chinese Idiom: 克勤克俭 (Ke Qin Ke Jian) English Translation: Diligent and frugal pīn yīn: kè qín kè jiǎn Idiom Meaning: This idiom describes someone who is both hardworking and thrifty. Historical Source: Book of Documents (《尚书·大禹谟》). Idiom Story: Around four to five thousand years ago, the Yellow River basin was plagued by devastating floods that
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