preface
From these "strange" and "not very serious" idioms, I once again felt the profundity of Chinese culture.
In the latest episode of Challenge the Impossible, several contestants choose two false idioms from 30 sets of words. The host Sabine was confused by "drinking the northwest wind" and "adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing", and even threatened to swear that if they were idioms, they would "eat the hand card", and the result was repeatedly "punched in the face".
That's right, both words are idioms! "Don't lie to me if I read less!" Netizens and Xiao Sa "overturned" together, but also sighed: from these "strange" and "not very serious" idioms, once again felt the profundity of Chinese culture.
Let's take a look at the stories behind idioms that don't look like idioms.
1
The Doctor buys a donkey
This idiom that looks very graphic is from the "Yan Family Training • Mian Xue": "Yixia Proverb Yun: 'The doctor buys a donkey, the book coupon has three papers, and there is no donkey word.'" ’”
Dr. was an official name in ancient times. In ancient times, there was a very conceited reader who thought that he was very knowledgeable, often showing off his pen and ink and showing off his literary skills, and people mocked him as a "doctor".
One day, the "doctor" went to the market to buy donkeys, and after paying the money, he asked the donkey seller to write a voucher. The donkey seller couldn't read, so he asked him to write for him. The "doctor" wrote three large pieces of paper, full of empty words, and did not even mention the word "donkey". After the news spread, someone made up a paragraph: "The doctor bought a donkey, the book coupons were three papers, and there was no donkey word." ”
The doctor bought a donkey to satirize the long and long articles, but he couldn't say anything.
2
It was a blast
This is the idiom that went out of the circle last year because of the international sharp reviews broadcast by the "News Network". "Let people spray rice" first came from an essay by Su Shi, "Wen and Paintable Yundang (yún dāng) Gu Yan Bamboo Record".
In this article, Su Shi writes about his own and the interesting things that wen and can intersect. Wen was a painter and poet, and Su Shi was a cousin.
Wen Youke was swimming in the valley one day, burning bamboo shoots for dinner, opening the envelope and seeing the poem written to him by Su Shi, he couldn't help but laugh and sprayed the rice in his mouth all over the table. "Spray rice full case" has since become an idiom related to Su Shi.
In the use of later generations, it gradually derived "squirting rice", which is used to describe things or talk very ridiculously.
3
It's easier said than done
"It's easier said than done" is now a common saying that many people don't see as an idiom. It is used as an idiom from the Book of Han and the Tale of Oriental Shuo.
Shortly after Emperor Wu of Han ascended the throne, he ordered the whole country to recommend talents. Dongfang Shuo went to Chang'an to propose himself to Emperor Wu and was appointed as a changshilang.
Since then, Dongfang Shuo has written to the court many times to put forward suggestions and opinions on the government, but many opinions and rules have not been adopted. Once, Dongfang Shuo proposed a strategy of cultivating a strong country, but it was not adopted.
In order to satirize Emperor Wu of Han, Dongfang Shuo wrote a "Treatise on Non-Mr. Non-Existence". The text is a fictional story, and it is not easy to use "how easy it is to talk" to express that it is not easy for subordinates to speak to the monarch.
It is easy to use metaphors to get things done, and it is not as simple as the lips say.
4
Miserable green boy
This is also an idioms that are easy to misunderstand, from the collection of tang dynasty anecdotes and strange things, "Idle Advocacy".
During the Tang Dynasty, Pan Mengyang became a household attendant, and his mother thought that her son had no skills, but he stole a high position, and sooner or later something would happen. Pan Mengyang was very unconvinced, believing that the officials around him were similar to him. His mother asked her son to invite his colleagues to dinner, and he secretly observed them himself, and found that these people really had no talent, so he was relieved.
However, Pan Mengyang's mother only saw a teenager in a green official uniform in the last seat, who was different and thought that his future prospects were unlimited. Later, this young man named Du Huangsheng really came out on top and became the prime minister.
The word "miserable green boy" in the word "miserable" is "cǎn", meaning dim. "Miserable Green Boy" is extended to a personable young man.
5
Pharmacy Wyvern
"Pharmacy Feilong" is indeed an idiom related to Chinese medicine and pharmacies, but the meaning is not as strong as it is literal. It is from a poem in the Southern Dynasty Music House's "Reading Songs".
The poem reads: "Since Beilang, the head of the sleeping lodge has not been lifted, the flying dragon has fallen into the pharmacy, and the bone has only come out for Ru." "It depicts a woman who is alone in her boudoir, who is haggard for her husband and jun all day long, and her body is so thin that she looks like a dragon that has fallen into a drugstore, leaving only a skeleton.
The "Wyvern" in "Pharmacy Wyvern" refers to the Chinese medicine keel, which is a fossilized skeleton of an ancient large mammal.
The drugstore flying dragon is now used as a metaphor for the skinny bones of man.
6
Steamed pears
This is like an idiom of the name of a dish, which is related to eating, but it is not a dish. It is from the "World Speaks New Language, Contempt", "Huannan County, whenever he sees people unhappy, he is angry: 'Junde mourns the family pear, when the fu is not steamed, it is not steamed!'" ’”
Huan Nanjun was Huan Xuan, the son of the Eastern Jin Dynasty politician and military figure Huan Wen, and when he met someone who made him angry, he often became angry: "You have a mourning pear, you should not steam it and eat it again!" The "Laijia pear" here refers to the pear planted by the Family of Waizhong in the Moling Tomb of the Han Dynasty, which is very delicious and famous.
Mourning pear steamed food, used to satirize stupid people to do stupid things, bad bad things.
7
Save people from the well
"Saving people from a well" is it saving people from a well? This idiom, which cannot be understood literally, actually comes from the Analects.
There is such a content in the Analects of Yongye that Zai I asked: "The benevolent one, although he tells him that 'there is benevolence in the well'. From where does it come from? Zi Yue: "What is it?" A gentleman may pass away, but he shall not fall into it; he may be deceived, nor shall he be deceived. ”
Confucius disciples slaughtered me and loved to drill the tip of the bull's horn, and asked strange questions. He posed a hypothetical question: If someone falls into a well, will a benevolent person jump down the well?
In this regard, Confucius did not answer positively, but explained a truth in this regard: a person with benevolence will definitely go to the well to save people, but he cannot also fall into the well; he may be deceived by others, but he cannot be fooled.
Therefore, when Confucius said, "What is it?", it means why did it do that?
Saving people from a well refers to jumping down a well to rescue a person who has fallen into a well, which is a metaphor for improper methods of doing good deeds, and it is not beneficial to others or themselves. Now many parables take great risks to save others.
8
Great wall
Isn't the Great Wall the Great Wall of the World Cultural Heritage - the Great Wall of the Mainland? The answer is that it's not just that. As an idiom, it comes from the Nanshi Tandoji Biography.
Tan Daoji was a famous general of the Southern Song Dynasty, who followed the Song Emperor Liu Yunan in his northern campaign, and made many military achievements, and was an official to the general of the Southern Expedition. After Liu Yu's death, his son Liu Yilong of Song wen took the throne, because Tan Daoji was a former courtier, and several of his sons were brave and good at war, and Emperor Wen of Song was afraid that he could not control him, so he killed him.
When Tan Daoji was arrested, he was very angry, picked up a glass of wine and drank it all, threw his hat on the ground, and said, "It is the Great Wall of Ru Wanli!" "Meaning, you are self-destructive in doing this!"
The Great Wall is used as a metaphor for the soldiers on which the country guards its territory and protects the country and the people.
9
Cute in winter
This is another idioms that are easily misunderstood, from the "Left Biography".
There is a cloud in the "Seven Years of Zuo Chuan Wengong": "Zhao Decline, the day of winter; Zhao Dun, the day of summer also." The Wei and Jin dynasty scribe Du Pre later wrote in his commentary on the Zuo Zhuan: "Winter is lovely, and summer is terrible." ”
Zhao Dun was the son of Zhao Wan, a politician and strategic commander during the Spring and Autumn Period, and a former doctor of the Jin Dynasty. During his reign in the Jin Dynasty, his power fell to the opposition, which affected and weakened the jin monarchy. After the death of Xiang Gong, the ruler of the Jin dynasty, Zhao Dun had a dispute with Jia Ji, the grand master of the Jin state, over the question of who to appoint as the monarch.
Later, Jia Ji was asked: "Which zhao dun is more wise than his father Zhao Wan?" Jia Ji made an analogy: Zhao Wan is the winter sun, and Zhao Dun is the summer sun.
Meaning: Zhao Wan is like the winter sun, making people feel warm and kind, and people are willing to approach. Zhao Dun's decisive killing and fierce means made people feel terrible.
Winter cuteness is used as a metaphor for a gentle and loving attitude that makes people willing to approach. The opposite idiom is "summer is terrible".
10
Half of the Analects
The "Half Analects" is literally half of the Analects. It is from the Song Dynasty anecdotal novel "Crane Forest Yulu".
There is such an account in the "Crane Forest Yulu": During the Northern Song Dynasty, the politician Zhao Pu was born as a small official and did not read much. He assisted Zhao Kuangyin, the grandfather of the Song Dynasty, in his eastern expedition to the west and unified the whole country. Later, Taizu Song appointed him chancellor. After the death of Song Taizu, his younger brother succeeded to the throne, and the history was called Song Taizong. Zhao Pu continued to serve as prime minister.
Some people told Song Taizong that the book that Zhao Pu had read was only a Classic Confucian Analects, and it was inappropriate to be the prime minister.
Song Taizong once asked Zhao Pu: "Some people say that you only read one Analects, is this true?" Zhao Pu replied, "What Chen Pingsheng knows is indeed not beyond the book of the Analects. In the past, the subjects assisted Taizu in calming the world with half of the Analects, but now the subjects use half of the Analects to assist His Majesty and make the world peaceful. ”
Half of the Analects used to refer to the praise of the Confucian classic Analects, and if you master the half of the Analects, people will improve their ability to govern the country.
These 10 idioms that are not like idioms,
Send it to everyone, too much knowledge!
Source: WeChat public account "Global Digest"
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