My China Connection

以貌取人失之子羽 Judging a talent solely by appearance is an injustice

landawei Post in Chinese proverb，Tags: you can't judge a book by its cover, 以貌取人失之子羽

03 September 2010

以貌取人失之子羽

以貌取人失之子羽 (yǐ mào qǔ rén shī zhī zǐ yǔ) means “judging a talent solely by appearance is an injustice”.

If you are a new reader to “My China Connection” you may ask, “why is he writing about Chinese proverbs?”

1) you are probably familiar with this in Chinese, not in English. As I tell the story in English, I select vocabulary that will help you. 2) I get to learn something interesting.

Confucius 孔子 had a student named Zi Yu 字羽 . Zi Yu wanted to study under Confucius’ tutelage, but Confucius was somewhat reluctant at first. You see, Zi Yu was grotesque and appalling in appearance.

Zi Yu entreated Confucius to accept him and eventually Confucius consented. Zi Yu wanted to overcome Confucius’ initial bias, so he was a model student. He did more than was required of him to in his studies.

At the end of three years, because of his diligence, he exceeded his classmates in his moral and academic accomplishments.

Zi Yu moved to the State of Wu after completing his studies and founded an academy based upon Confucian principles. The school flourished and its influence was felt far and wide.

Naturally, Confucius was now euphoric about the student of whom he initially judged by appearance.

Confucius admitted that his first assessment of Zi Yu was flawed. “Selecting talents only by their appearance, I have done injustice to Zi Yu.”

Today in China, people cite Confucius’ words 以貌取人失之子羽 to underscore that one is in error if they judge talents on the basis of one’s physical appearance.

After learning about this proverb, I think the closest English equivalent is “you can’t judge a book by its cover“.

You can’t judge a book by its cover

landawei Post in English proverb，Tags: all that gliiters is not gold, you can't judge a book by its cover

03 September 2010

更多中文解释请点粗体字, 由 iciba.com 提供

“You can’t judge a book by its cover” means that you should reserve judgment regarding external appearances. What you initially conclude about a matter may not be accurate, your assessment may not be reliable.

It can be used to describe vanity. The first example implies that.

In some cases, one could substitute this phrase with “all that glitters is not gold“. Here’s an example:

“Candy is really very beautiful, but once you get to know her, she’s very phony and shallow. You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

Here’s an example where “all that glitters is not gold” would not work:

“Oliver drove an old car and his clothes were not at all fashionable, but in reality he was one of the wealthiest men in town. You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

Is there a way you can express “you can’t judge a book by its cover” in Chinese? If there is, please leave a message in the comment section! Comments are always welcome. So are questions! You can leave a question in the comment section or a special location “English Questions”.

Susan Boyle looks rather plain, but she's a fabulous singer. She became world famous on the British talent show "Britain's Got Talent". You can't judge a book by its cover.

Monkey business

landawei Post in English slang，Tags: Donna Rice, Gary Hart, monkey business

02 September 2010

Goofing off is a type of "monkey business".

“Monkey business” is a slang phrase which has three main meanings:

wasting time, or effort, on some foolish project “playing computer games all the time is monkey business.”
an activity that is considered silly, or stupid, or time-wasting, shenanigans. “The boys prank on their teacher did not endear themselves to her. The monkey business landed them in the principal’s office”
(idiom) An activity that may be considered illegal, questionable, or a vice, but not felonious. For this definition, read on about U.S. Senator Gary Hart.

There was an American senator, Gary Hart, who was suspected of infidelity. He was running for President in 1987. When he a reporter asked him about rumors about his cheating on his wife, he foolishly dared the reporter to prove it.

Bad idea.

The reporter trailed him and and discovered that he spent time on a yacht in Florida called the “Monkey Business” with a model named Donna Rice. A photograph of Rice seated on Senator Hart’s lap ended his political aspirations for President.

He shouldn’t have resorted to monkey business with Donna on the yacht Monkey Business!

(An aptly named yacht, don’t you agree?)

Monkeys have a reputation for being clever, yet naughty animals. I believe Chinese literature is replete with such monkey stories.

Does Chinese have an equivalent slang term “monkey business“?

This "Monkey Business" photo ended Senator Gary Hart's bid for the White House. Donna Rice is on his lap.

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.

landawei Post in English proverb，Tags: sticks and stones

02 September 2010

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is a children’s rhyme that would be recited during whenever an invective was spoken from one child to another.

Usually, children are playing a game and one side cheats or even wins fairly and someone on the other side makes some sort of snide remark or accusation. Then “sticks and stones” is a typical response.

The rhyme’s meaning should be obvious, words are not physical, therefore they cannot cause harm.

I do not agree. I think this children’s rhyme is absurd, preposterous, and inane. Nothing can be further from the truth.

Do you remember vicious things people said to you many years ago? I certainly do and often I still feel the sting upon recollection.

I like to read the Bible. There’s a book of the Bible written by a man named James. Here’s a snippet of what he had to say about cruel words that can be spoken:

“How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.”

Words certainly can be hurtful. I hope the words spoken to you today are charitable and gracious.

What adages exist in Chinese that are similar to “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me“?

Please leave a message in the comment section!

下一次再见！

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

landawei Post in English proverb，Tags: an apple a day keeps the doctor away, 安吉丽娜朱莉, 苹果

01 September 2010

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away" attest to the health benefits of this wonderful fruit.

更多中文解释请点粗体字, 由 iciba.com 提供

“An apple a day keeps the doctor way” is a rhyming proverb. There’s no hidden meaning, it means exactly what it says. Apples are so nutritious that if you consume one daily, you will be healthy and stave off all sorts of maladies.

This proverb advocates preventative medicine. If you eat a good nutritious diet, you can avoid a number of ailments.

I make smoothies at home almost every day and more often than not, an apple is one of the ingredients.

I suppose if your mother told you to eat your vegetables, she also insisted that you have apples or other fruit.

Example: “Mom always packed an apple in my school lunch. ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away‘ was one of her favorite sayings.”

What are some fruits that you enjoy other than apples? Does Chinese have a similar adage? Please share your thoughts in the comment section! 下一次再见！

Angelina Jolie安吉丽娜朱莉 has an apple that keeps something else away!

One bad apple spoils the barrel

landawei Post in English proverb，Tags: bad apple, one bad apple spoils the barrel, one bad apple spoils the bunch, 一颗老鼠屎坏了一锅汤, 苹果

01 September 2010

"One bad apple makes the barrel bad" means that a single corrupting influence can spread to a larger group.

更多中文解释请点粗体字, 由 iciba.com 提供

The proverb “one bad apple spoils the barrel” means that there are certain situations where all it takes is a single person to make a problem prevalent.

In English, we can refer to such a person as simply a “bad apple“, which is derived from this phrase.

Before refrigeration, apples were stored in barrels at stores and on ships.

If you ever read Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island“, you’ll read about a young boy who hid in an apple barrel on a ship and overheard the plans of a mutiny by other members of the crew.

If an apple in the apple barrel became rotten, it had a way of tainting the other apples, rendering the entire barrel’s supply of apples unfit for consumption. So it was a good idea to empty the barrel and restock it before the apples became putrid.

Example: “Before Gary transferred into the class, it was well behaved. But one bad apple spoils the barrel! His influence made things unbearable for the teacher.”

What is the Chinese version of this “one bad apple spoils the barrel“?

Greatest thing since sliced bread

landawei Post in English slang，Tags: greatest thing since sliced bread, sliced bread

01 September 2010

"Greatest thing since sliced bread" means an invention is rather innovative and useful.

I love to make and eat homemade bread. As I was slicing some bread today, it reminded me of the phrase “the greatest thing since sliced bread.”

I have a machine that allows me to make my own flour. Having a whole grain is healthier than eating bread made from enriched flour. However, I don’t like to slice my bread because the slices are not as even as store bought bread.

When bakers were able to automate bread slicing in the 1920s it was lauded as a great time saver and convenience.

The phrase “the greatest thing since sliced bread” is a hyperbole to mean that some invention is wonderful and innovative. Sliced bread serves as a benchmark against which new inventions are measured.

Example: “I love my iPhone, it is the greatest thing since sliced bread! Not only is it a phone, but it is a mini portable computer with tons of apps.”

What is the equivalent of “the greatest thing since sliced bread” in Chinese? That might be interesting since sliced bread comes from the West and rice is the main staple of China.

Beam me up, Scotty!

landawei Post in American culture，Tags: Beam me up Scotty, Star Trek, 星舰奇航记, 星艦奇航記

31 August 2010

Dr. McCoy on left, Captain Kirk in the center, and Mr. Spock on the right. They are on the transporter device which will disassemble all their molecules, transport them down to a planet and reassemble them.

“Beam me up, Scotty” is a catch phrase in modern English. Used colloquially, it means “Get me out of here! The people here are lunatics!”

To put this phrase in context, you will need to be familiar with a television program “Star Trek”. It takes place several hundred years in the future. Not only is it possible to travel all over the galaxy at speeds faster than light, but people can be teleported.

The main character is named Captain James T. Kirk of the starship USS Enterprise. The chief engineer of the Enterprise is Commander Montgomery Scott or “Scotty”.

Captain Kirk is often on the surface of some exotic planet and calls Scotty with a communicator (which looks like a cell phone). To get back to the ship, he calls Scotty and says “Beam me up.”.

The exact phrase “Beam me up, Scotty ” is actually never used on the Star Trek, but in time that’s the phrase that came into use in popular culture.

There was even a bumper sticker that once said, “Beam me up, Scotty. There is no intelligent life down here.”
This is a joke to say everyone around the driver are complete idiots.

If you say “Beam me up, Scotty” or “Beam me up, Scotty there’s no intelligent life down here” around an American, to mean “get me out of here” you will create quite an impression with your linguistic and cultural insights of modern English! Try it some time!

This is Captain Kirk's ship, the USS Enterprise.

Scotty is the man in the red shirt. He's working at the the Transporter.

Lang Lang enjoys “The Peony Pavilion” at the Shanghai Expo

landawei Post in News from China，Tags: 昆曲, 杜丽娘, 柳梦梅, 牡丹亭, 郎朗

30 August 2010

A scene from the China Opera "A Peony Pavilion". 牡丹亭

The flamboyant Chinese pianist Lang Lang 郎朗 enjoyed some tranquil theatrical art on Monday evening in Shanghai.

“The Peony Pavilion” 牡丹亭 is one of China’s most traditional Kunqu 崑曲Opera classics. And Lang Lang is one of the three Ambassadors for the ongoing World Expo. He watched the show along with staff who work at Expo pavilions from a variety of countries.

Grammy and Oscar winning composer and conductor Tan Dun took a modern approach in producing the opera by bringing “The Peony Pavilion” away from the stage and into the natural setting of the Kezhi Garden in Zhujiajiao water town.

The idea is to encapsulate the pure and natural love that develops between the main characters of this ancient love story.

Tan Dun, artistic supervisor, said, “Why do we bother to put it in a natural setting? The grass and the woods have their own emotions and dreams. There is no need to interrupt them. This is so natural and such a feeling is aroused only in such a natural setting.”

Lang Lang appreciated the show as the most romantic and best Kunqu Opera performance he has ever watched because of the dream-like setting that enchants audiences.

Lang Lang said, “It’s very quiet when we listen to music in concert halls. I thought there must be microphones to augment the actors’ voice on the open air stage. But there were none. I immediately realized that this is the most natural sound.”

The most famous of all Kunqu opera works, “The Peony Pavilion” tells the story of the love between Du Liniang杜丽娘, the daughter of a high-ranking official and a poor young scholar named Liu Mengmei 柳梦梅 . Kept apart by outside forces, the story is believed to mirror that of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”.

Kunqu opera is regarded as the progenitor of all Chinese theatrical forms.

Chinese pianist Lang Lang 郎朗 performs in his home town Shenyang, Liaoning.

(This article was taken form Xinhua News. I chose it because it has some good vocabulary.)

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