天下无难事，只怕有心人

Chinese Proverbs

A bad beginning makes a bad ending.

不善始者不善终。

A bad thing never dies.

遗臭万年。

A bad workman always blames his tools.

不会撑船怪河弯。

A bird in the hand is worth than two in the bush.

一鸟在手胜过双鸟在林。

A boaster and a liar are cousins-german.

吹牛与说谎本是同宗。

A bully is always a coward.

色厉内荏。

A burden of one's choice is not felt.

爱挑的担子不嫌重。

A candle lights others and consumes itself.

蜡烛照亮别人，却毁灭了自己。

A cat has 9 lives.

猫有九条命。

A cat may look at a king.

猫也可以打量国王，意为人人平等。

A close mouth catches no flies.

病从口入。

A constant guest is never welcome.

久住非佳宾，常来不欢迎。

Actions speak louder than words.

事实胜于雄辩。

Adversity leads to prosperity.

穷则思变。

Adversity makes a man wise, not rich.

逆境出人才。

A fair death honors the whole life.

死得其所，流芳百世。

A faithful friend is hard to find.

知音难觅。

A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit.

吃一堑，长一智。

A fox may grow gray, but never good.

江山易改，本性难移。

A friend in need is a friend indeed.

患难见真情。

A friend is easier lost than found.

失友容易，交友难。

A friend is never known till a man has need.

需要之时方知友。

A friend without faults will never be found.

没有十全十美的朋友。

'After you' is good manners.

“您先请”是礼貌。

A good beginning is half done.

良好的开端是成功的一半。

A good beginning makes a good ending.

善始者善终。

A good book is a good friend.

好书如挚友。

A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever.

一本好书，相伴一生。

A good conscience is a soft pillow.

不做亏心事，不怕鬼叫门。

A good fame is better than a good face.

美名胜过美貌。

A good husband makes a good wife.

夫善则妻贤。

A good medicine tastes bitter.

良药苦口。

A good wife and health are a man's best wealth.

妻贤与身体好是男人最大的财富。

A great talker is a great liar.

说大话者多谎言。

A hedge between keeps friendship green.

君子之交淡如水。

A joke never gains an enemy but loses a friend.

戏谑不能化敌为友，只能使人失去朋友。

A leopard cannot change its spots.

积习难改。

A liar is not believed when he speaks the truth.

说谎者即使讲真话也没人相信。

A light heart lives long.

静以修身。

A little body often harbors a great soul.

浓缩的都是精品。

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

浅学误人。

A little pot is soon hot.

壶小易热,量小易怒。

All are brave when the enemy flies.

敌人逃窜时，人人都成了勇士。

All good things come to an end.

天下没有不散的筵席。

All rivers run into sea.

海纳百川。

All roads lead to Rome.

条条大路通罗马。

All that ends well is well.

结果好，就一切都好。

All that glitters is not gold.

闪光的不一定都是金子。

All things are difficult before they are easy.

凡事总是由难而易。

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

只会用功不玩耍，聪明孩子也变傻。

A man becomes learned by asking questions.

不耻下问才能有学问。

A man can do no more than he can.

凡事都应量力而行。

A man cannot spin and reel at the same time.

一心不能二用。

A man is known by his friends.

察其友，知其人。

A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds.

空有言语而无行动的人，犹如杂草丛生的花园。

A man without money is no man at all.

一分钱难倒英雄汉。

A merry heart goes all the way.

心旷神怡，事事顺利。

A miss is as good as a mile.

失之毫厘，差之千里。

A mother's love never changes.

母爱永恒。

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

一天一苹果，不用请医生。

A new broom sweeps clean.

新官上任三把火。

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

以眼还眼，以牙还牙。

An hour in the morning is worth two in the evening.

一日之计在于晨。

An old dog cannot learn new tricks.

老狗学不了新把戏; 老年人很难适应新事物。

An ounce of luck is better than a pound of wisdom.

聪明才智，不如运气。

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

一分的预防胜于十分的治疗。

A rolling stone gathers no moss.

滚石不生苔，转业不聚财。

As a man sows, so shall he reap.

种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆。

A single flower does not make a spring.

一花独放不是春，百花齐放春满园。

A snow year, a rich year.

瑞雪兆丰年。

A sound mind in a sound body.

健全的精神寓于健康的身体。

A still tongue makes a wise head.

寡言者智。

A stitch in time saves nine.

小洞不补，大洞吃苦。

A straight foot is not afraid of a crooked shoe.

身正不怕影子斜。

A wise head makes a close mouth.

真人不露相，露相非真人。

A word spoken is past recalling.

一言既出，驷马难追。

A year's plan starts with spring.

一年之计在于春。

A young idler, an old beggar.

少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲。

who can be the king. (a story)

从前，有个国王，他有三个儿子。 cóng qián ， yǒu gè guó wáng ， tā yǒu sān gè ér zi 。 国王一天天老了，想把王位传给儿子。 guó wáng yì tiān tiān lǎo le ， xiǎng bǎ wáng wèi chuán gěi ér zi 。 可是，传给哪一个儿子呢？为这事， kě shì ， chuán gěi nǎ yí gè ér zi ne ？ wéi zhè shì ， 他左思又想，终于想出了办法。 tā zuǒ sī yòu xiǎng ， zhōng yú xiǎng chū le bàn fǎ 。 国王把三个儿子叫到面前，说： guó wáng bǎ sān gè ér zi jiào dào miàn qián ， shuō ： “治理国家，需要聪明、诚实的人。 “ zhì lǐ guó jiā ， xū yào cōng míng 、 chéng shí de rén 。 我今天交给你们一件事， wǒ jīn tiān jiāo gěi nǐ men yí jiàn shì ， 谁完成的最好， shuí wán chéng de zuì hǎo ， 我就把王位传给他。” wǒ jiù bǎ wáng wèi chuán gěi tā 。 ” 三个儿子都认为这样比较公平。 sān gè ér zǐ dōu rèn wéi zhè yàng bǐ jiào gōng píng 。 于是，国王交给每个儿子一块银币，说： yú shì ， guó wáng jiāo gěi měi gè ér zǐ yí kuài yín bì ， shuō ： “你们用它去买东西， “ nǐ men yòng tā qù mǎi dōng xī ， 所买东西必须能装满一间空的房子。” suǒ mǎi dōng xī bì xū néng zhuāng mǎn yì jiān kōng de fáng zi 。 ” 三个儿子拿着银币出发了。 sān gè ér zǐ ná zhe yín bì chū fā le 。 老大拿着银币买了很多干草， lǎo dà ná zhe yín bì mǎi le hěn duō gàn cǎo ， 可是，只堆了半间屋子。 kě shì ， zhī duī le bàn jiān wū zi 。 老二心想，“一块银币能买什么呢？” lǎo èr xīn xiǎng ， “ yí kuài yín bì néng mǎi shén me ne ？ ” 他自己又加了一块银币， tā zì jǐ yòu jiā le yí kuài yín bì ， 买了很多柴火， mǎi le hěn duō chái huǒ ， 可是，他也只堆了大半间屋子。 kě shì ， tā yě zhī duī le dà bàn jiān wū zi 。 老三用这块银币买了一支蜡烛和一盒火柴。 lǎo sān yòng zhè kuài yín bì mǎi le yì zhī là zhú hé yì hé huǒ chái 。 他划了一根火柴，点燃蜡烛， tā huá le yì gēn huǒ chái ， diǎn rán là zhú ， 桔黄色的烛光立刻充满了整个房间！ jù huáng sè de zhú guāng lì kè chōng mǎn le zhěng gè fáng jiān ！ “父王，一块金币并没有用完。” “ fù wáng ， yí kuài jīn bì bìng méi yǒu yòng wán 。 ” 老三说着，把剩下的钱递给了国王。 lǎo sān shuō zhe ， bǎ shèng xià de qián dì gěi le guó wáng 。 不用再说什么了，bú yòng zài shuō shén me le ， 国王把王位传给了小儿子。 guó wáng bǎ wáng wèi chuán gěi le xiǎo ér zǐ 。

To Knot Grass and Carry a Ring (结草衔环）

                        To Knot Grass and Carry a Ring

 

During the Spring and Autumn Period, there lived in the kingdom of Chin a man named Wei Ke, whose father had a young and very beautiful concubine. After his father grew old and fell ill, he told Wei Ke that after his death, his son was to marry the concubine into a suitable family. Later, when his illness had grown worse and he was in a state of delirium, he said that he wanted the girl to commit suicide and he buried with him. Wei Ke felt that he should obey what his father had said when he was fully conscious, and so he married the girl into a nice family. Later, Wei Ke was in a battle which he was about to lose, when suddenly he saw an old man come tie a knot in the grass in front of his enemy, His enemy's horse tripped over the knot, and Wei Ke won the battle. That night, Wei Ke had a dream that the old man came to him and said, "I am the father of the concubine, come to repay you for not burying my daughter with your father."

During the Han dynasty, there lived a man named Yand Bau, who was very king and sympathetic. When he was a boy, Yang Bau once came across an injured sparrow. He saved the little bird, and treated its wounds. Many years later, this little sparrow brought Yang Bau a ring of jade.

Therefore, "to knot the grass and carry a ring" means to repay someone for a kindness.

 

 

结草衔环

 

 

 

    知恩图报、滴水之恩当涌泉相报、感恩报德，至死不忘，一直被认为是中华民族引以为傲的传统美德。成语「结草衔环」的典故不仅向我们讲述了成就这美德的两个感人至深的故事，还告诉我们“善有善报”是一亘古不变的天理。

 

    「结草」的典故见于《左传.宣公十五年》。公元前 594年的秋七月，秦桓公出兵伐晋，晋军和秦兵在晋地辅氏（今陕西大荔县）交战，晋将魏颗与秦将杜回相遇，二人撕杀在一起，正在难分难解之际，魏颗突然见一老人用草编的绳子套住杜回，使这位堂堂的秦国大力士站立不稳，摔倒在地，当场被魏颗所俘，使得魏颗在这次战役中大败秦师。

 

    晋军获胜收兵后，当天夜里，魏颗在梦中见到那位白天为他结绳绊倒杜回的老人，老人说，我就是你把她嫁走而没有让她为你父亲陪葬的那女子的父亲。我今天这样做是为了报答你的大恩大德！

 

    原来，晋国大夫魏武子有位无儿子的爱妾。魏武子刚生病的时候嘱咐儿子魏颗说：「我死之后，你一定要把她嫁出去。」不久魏武子病重，又对魏颗说：「我死之后，一定要让她为我殉葬。」等到魏武子死后，魏颗没有把那爱妾杀死陪葬，而是把她嫁给了别人。魏颗说：「人在病重的时候，神智是昏乱不清的，我嫁此女，是依据父亲神智清醒时的吩咐。」

 

    「衔环」典故则见于《后汉书﹒杨震传》中的注引《续齐谐记》，杨震父亲杨宝九岁时，在华阴山北，见一黄雀被老鹰所伤，坠落在树下，为蝼蚁所困。杨宝怜之，就将它带回家，放在巾箱中，只给它喂饲黄花，百日之后的一天，黄雀羽毛丰满，就飞走了。当夜，有一黄衣童子向杨宝拜谢说：「我是西王母的使者，君仁爱救拯，实感成济。」并以白环四枚赠与杨宝，说：「它可保佑君的子孙位列三公，为政清廉，处世行事象这玉环一样洁白无暇。」

 

    果如黄衣童子所言，杨宝的儿子杨震、孙子杨秉、曾孙杨赐、玄孙杨彪四代官职都官至太尉，而且都刚正不阿，为政清廉，他们的美德为后人所传诵。

 

     后世将「结草」「衔环」合在一起，流传至今，比喻感恩报德，至死不忘。

 

 

 

 

    知恩图报、滴水之恩当涌泉相报、感恩报德，至死不忘，一直被认为是中华民族引以为傲的传统美德。成语「结草衔环」的典故不仅向我们讲述了成就这美德的两个感人至深的故事，还告诉我们“善有善报”是一亘古不变的天理。

 

    「结草」的典故见于《左传.宣公十五年》。公元前 594年的秋七月，秦桓公出兵伐晋，晋军和秦兵在晋地辅氏（今陕西大荔县）交战，晋将魏颗与秦将杜回相遇，二人撕杀在一起，正在难分难解之际，魏颗突然见一老人用草编的绳子套住杜回，使这位堂堂的秦国大力士站立不稳，摔倒在地，当场被魏颗所俘，使得魏颗在这次战役中大败秦师。

 

    晋军获胜收兵后，当天夜里，魏颗在梦中见到那位白天为他结绳绊倒杜回的老人，老人说，我就是你把她嫁走而没有让她为你父亲陪葬的那女子的父亲。我今天这样做是为了报答你的大恩大德！

 

    原来，晋国大夫魏武子有位无儿子的爱妾。魏武子刚生病的时候嘱咐儿子魏颗说：「我死之后，你一定要把她嫁出去。」不久魏武子病重，又对魏颗说：「我死之后，一定要让她为我殉葬。」等到魏武子死后，魏颗没有把那爱妾杀死陪葬，而是把她嫁给了别人。魏颗说：「人在病重的时候，神智是昏乱不清的，我嫁此女，是依据父亲神智清醒时的吩咐。」

 

    「衔环」典故则见于《后汉书﹒杨震传》中的注引《续齐谐记》，杨震父亲杨宝九岁时，在华阴山北，见一黄雀被老鹰所伤，坠落在树下，为蝼蚁所困。杨宝怜之，就将它带回家，放在巾箱中，只给它喂饲黄花，百日之后的一天，黄雀羽毛丰满，就飞走了。当夜，有一黄衣童子向杨宝拜谢说：「我是西王母的使者，君仁爱救拯，实感成济。」并以白环四枚赠与杨宝，说：「它可保佑君的子孙位列三公，为政清廉，处世行事象这玉环一样洁白无暇。」

 

    果如黄衣童子所言，杨宝的儿子杨震、孙子杨秉、曾孙杨赐、玄孙杨彪四代官职都官至太尉，而且都刚正不阿，为政清廉，他们的美德为后人所传诵。

 

     后世将「结草」「衔环」合在一起，流传至今，比喻感恩报德，至死不忘。

 

奥林匹克标志和五环旗
In 1914, Pierre de Coubertin wanted to design a flag and a symbol to represent the Olympic Spirit. As the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Coubertin chose a five-ring symbol as his design. He got the idea from a stone discovered at Delphi, Greece. The Paris Congress in 1914 used it as the official flag of the Olympics. The new flag appeared at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium for the first time. It was here that the five rings became the official Olympic symbol.
The Olympic symbol’s five rings come in five different colors. From left to right, they are blue, yellow, black, green and red. The rings are linked from left to right; the blue, black and red rings are placed at the top, the yellow and green rings at the bottom. The five-ring symbol means the five continents of the world. It also represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from around the world.

Mandarin learning soars outside China

In just five years, the number of non-Chinese people learning Mandarin Chinese has soared to 30 million. What is fuelling this expansion, and will it change the status of English as a global language?

Shanghai-born lawyer Kailan Shu Lucas of Chinese Learning Centre organises lessons in Mandarin, the main Chinese language, for pupils in London - and she is very busy.

She now co-ordinates lessons for 12 London schools. She believes that in most cases, having their children study the language is a career calculation made by the parents.

"Parents nowadays think that in 10-20 years' time, when their children are in adulthood, China will be even bigger - and so learning Chinese will be a very helpful tool," she told BBC World Service's Analysis programme.

"This will be a very useful, important language to learn."

Versatile

In London, the parents of most of the non-Chinese students studying Mandarin Chinese are from the finance industry.

Kailan said that in this industry, China is "a big thing."

"That influences the parents' thoughts," she added.

"They want their children to learn Chinese and be more versatile in terms of job prospects in the future."

The belief is that China is not just a new rival, but a new provider, not just a UK phenomenon - in the US too, numbers of teenagers taking Chinese have rocketed.

In 1998, just 6,000 student enrolled in Mandarin programmes. That figure is now 50,000.

"Students want to sign up for it; parents are asking for it; communities are asking for it," said Brett Lovejoy, of the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

"It's self-evident that children will be much better off economically and in job seeking if Chinese programmes are adopted."

In the UK, the number of students at colleges and universities taking Chinese as their main subject doubled between 2002 and 2005. Similar increases are reported in most Western nations.

This has not happened without encouragement from Beijing, where the government is actively promoting the speaking of Mandarin abroad.

Hundreds of teachers have been sent to Africa, and since 2004, China has set up "Confucius Institutes" around the world, actively promoting Mandarin Chinese.

So far, they have signed contracts with 40 universities in 25 countries to establish these joint projects.

Global language

And professor David Crystal, a leading authority on how languages work and how they change, explained that the explosion in the numbers learning Chinese is also down to demographic influences at home.

"In modern times, as cultures have changed - especially in Britain, the United States and Australia - as the countries have become increasingly multi-cultural and multi-ethnic, then the languages that come with those groups of immigrants become an increasingly important part of the culture," he said.

"London is one of the multi-lingual centres of the world... the monolingual tradition of English in the past is changing very much, and I think Chinese is one of the important factors.

"People who used to be able to make their way in the world as monolingual English speakers are now finding that they've got to compete with people who are genuinely multilingual."

Despite the big increase, most analysts agree Chinese is not about to replace English as the "global language" in the immediate future.

But professor Crystal added that this may not always be the case.

"It all depends on the power of the people who speak it - especially their economic power," said professor Crystal.

"A thousand years ago, people would have said it would be absurd that Latin would not be spoken in 1,000 years' time. But we know that has happened. It can only take 100 years or so for the language balance of power to shift. "Money talks. Currently, the language money talks is the dollar. But it might not always be that way."

idion (抛砖引玉）

To Attract Jade by Laying Bricks

 

During the Tang dynasty, there lived a man named Jau Gu, who was a very talented poet. Jau Gu's poems were so well-written that even famous poets of his time enjoyed reading them.

At that time, in a place called Wu, there lived a man named Chang Jian, who also liked to write poems. Chang Jian greatly admired Jau Gu's literary talent, and longed to know him personally. One day, Chang Jian heard that Jau Gu would be travelling to Wu. He knew that Jau Gu would definitely go visit Ling Yan Temple during his trip, because this was a very famous place which everyone who came to Wu went to see. So Chang Jian went first to the temple, and on the wall which was set aside for guests' comments and ideas, wrote two lines of poem.

When Jau Gu saw the two lines of poetry on the temple wall, he could not help adding another two lines, because Chinese poems are always composed of at least four lines. And so Chang Jian achieved his goal. He said, "My poem is a brick, and Jau Gu's poem is jade, I layed a brick, and attracted jade!"

This idiom is now a polite expression often used when giving an opinion or delivering a speech. It means that what one is offering is somehow lacking, and one is in hopes that others will, seeing it, offer something that is better.

 

 

抛砖引玉

 

 

 

    唐朝时有一个叫赵嘏的人，他的诗写的很好。曾因为一句“长笛一声人倚楼”得到一个“赵倚楼”的称号。那个时候还有一个叫常建的人，他的诗写的也很好，但是他总认为自己没有赵嘏写的好。

 

    有一次，常建听说赵嘏要到苏州游玩，他十分的高兴。心想，“这是一个向他学习的好机会，千万不能错过。用什么办法才能让他留下诗句呢？”他想，“赵嘏既然到苏州，肯定会去灵岩寺的，如果我先在寺庙里留下半首诗，他看到以后会补全的。”于是他就在墙上题下了半首诗。

 

    赵嘏后来真的来到了灵岩寺，在他看见墙上的那半首诗后，便提笔在后面补上了两句。常建的目的也就达到了。他用自己不是很好的诗，换来了赵嘏的精彩的诗。

 

    后来人们说，常建的这个办法，真可谓“抛砖引玉”了。

 

    这个成语的意思是说，先把自己的不是很好的观点或文章介绍给大家，目的是为了引出别人的高论或佳作。是一个表示自谦的说法。

机场常用词汇

机场费　　　　airport fee 国际机场　　　international airport 国内机场　　　domestic airport　 机场候机楼　　airport terminal 国际候机楼　　international terminal 国际航班出港　international departure 国内航班出站　domestic departure 卫星楼　　　　satellite 入口　　　　　in 出口　　　　　exit; way out 进港、到达     arrivals 不需报关　　　nothing to declare 海关　　　　　customs 登机口　　　　gate; departure gate 候机室　　　　departure lounge 航班号　　　　FLT No (flight number) 来自......　　  arriving from 预计时间　　　scheduled time (SCHED) 实际时间　　　actual time 已降落　　　　landed 前往......　　  departure to　 起飞时间　　　departure time 延误　　　　　delayed 登机　　　　　boarding 由此乘电梯前往登机 stairs and lifts to departures 迎宾处　　　　greeting arriving 由此上楼　　　up; upstairs 由此下楼　　　down; downstairs 银行　　　　　bank 货币兑换处　　money exchange; currency exchange 订旅馆　　　　hotel reservation 行李暂存箱　　luggage locker 出站(出港、离开) departures 登机手续办理　check-in 登机牌　　　　boarding pass (card) 护照检查处　　passport control immigration 行李领取处　　luggage claim; baggage claim 国际航班旅客　international passengers 中转　　　　　transfers 中转旅客　　　transfer passengers 中转处　　　　transfer correspondence 过境　　　　　transit 报关物品　　　goods to declare 贵宾室　　　　V. I. P. room 购票处　　　　ticket office 付款处　　　　cash 出租车乘车点　taxi pick-up point 大轿车乘车点　coach pick-up point 航空公司汽车服务处 airline coach service 租车处(旅客自己驾车) car hire 公共汽车　　　bus; coach service 公用电话　　　public phone; telephone 餐厅　　　　　restaurant 酒吧　　　　　bar　 咖啡馆　　　　coffee shop; cafe 免税店　　　　duty-free shop　 邮局　　　　　post office 出售火车票　　rail ticket 旅行安排　　　tour arrangement 行李牌　　　　luggage tag

人不可貌相 (you can't judge a person from his appearance)

人不可貌相

    赵国有个学者名公孙龙，为人骄傲自负。他曾对弟子说：“我不会和没有本领的人交往。”

    一天，有个衣衫褴褛的人，走上前对他说：“请您收我做徒弟吧！”

    公孙龙打量了那人一番，冷冷地问道：“你有何本领？”

    那人回答说：“我有一把洪亮的声音。”

    公孙龙问弟子道：“你们当中有没有声音洪亮的？”

    弟子回答说：“没有。”

    于是公孙龙收那人做徒弟。其他弟子窃窃私语，还暗暗地嘲笑道：“声音洪亮有甚么用？”

    过了几天，公孙龙有事要到燕国去。他们来到一条大河前，可是却见不到岸边有渡船，只见一艘停泊在远远的对岸。

    公孙龙着令新弟子施展其技。新弟子欣然答允，便大喊一声。不久，那艘渡船就划过来，载他们渡河去。

You'd Never Know

In the State of Zhao, there was once of a scholar by the name of Gongsun Long. He was a vain man and thought highly of himself.

"I don't keep company with people who have no talents," he told his disciples.

One day a man dressed in rags came up to him saying, "Please take me as your disciple."

After looking the man up and down, Gongsun Long replied coldly, "Tell me about your talents."

"Well," said the man, "I have a loud voice which can travel very far."

"Is there anyone among you who has a loud voice?" Gongsun Long asked his disciples.

"No, sir!" they replied.

Gongsun Long took the man as his disciple. His other disciples were secretly laughing among themselves. "What is the use of a loud voice?" they sneered.

A few days later, Gongsun Long and his disciples had to make a trip to the State of Yan. They came upon a large river. However, not a boat was in sight except one lying on the distant shore.

Gongsun Long told his new disciple to prove his talent. The man gladly heeded the request and bellowed across the river. Very soon the boat was rowed over to ferry them all.

The Frog in the Shallow Well 井底之蛙

The Frog in the Shallow Well

 

Have you not heard of the frog that lived in a shallow well? It said to a turtle that lived in the East Sea, "I am so happy! When I go out, I jump about on the railing beside the mouth of the well. When I come home, I rest in the holes on the broken wall of the well. If I jump into the water, it comes up to my armpits and holds up my cheeks. If I walk in the mud, it covers up my feet. I look around at the wriggly worms, crabs and tadpoles, and none of them can compare with me. Moreover, I am lord of this trough of water and I stand up tall in this shallow well. My happiness is full. My dear sir, why don't you come often and look around my place?"

Before the turtle from the East Sea could get its left foot in the well, its right knee got stuck. It hesitated and retreated. The turtle told the frog about the East Sea.

"Even a distance of a thousand li cannot give you an idea of the sea's width; even a height of a thousand ren cannot give you an idea of its depth. In the time of King Yu of the Xia dynasty, there were floods nine years out of ten, but the waters in the sea did not increase. ln the time of King Tang of the Shang dynasty there were droughts seven years out of eight, but the waters in the sea did not decrease. The sea does not change along with the passage of time and its level does not rise or fall according to the amount of rain that falls. The greatest happiness is to live in the East Sea."

After listening to these words, the frog of the shallow well was shocked into realization of his own insignificance and became very ill at ease.

 

 

井底之蛙

 

 

 

     一口废井里住着一只青蛙。有一天，青蛙在井边碰上了一只从海里来的大龟。

 

     青蛙就对海龟夸口说：「你看，我住在这里多快乐！有时高兴了，就在井栏边跳跃一阵；疲倦了，就回到井里，睡在砖洞边一回。或者只留出头和嘴巴，安安静静地把全身泡在水里：或者在软绵绵的泥浆里散一回步，也很舒适。看看那些虾和蝌虾，谁也此不上我。而且，我是这个井里的主人，在这井里极自由自在，你为什么不常到井里来欣赏呢！」

 

     那海龟听了青蛙的话，倒真想进去看看。但它的左脚还没有整个伸进去，右脚就已经绊住了。它连忙后退了两步，把大海的情形告诉青蛙说：「你看过海吗？海的广大，哪止千里；海的深度，哪只千来丈。古时候，十年有九年大水，海里的水，并不涨了多少；后来，八年里有七年大早，海里的水，也不见得浅了多少。可见大海是不受旱涝影响的。住在那样的大海里，才是真的快乐呢！」

 

      井蛙听了海龟的一番话，吃惊地呆在那里，再没有话可说了。

 

This article is from http://www.foreignercn.com/index.php/action_viewnews_itemid_8049.html

信口雌黄

Randomly Speaking Out Orpiment

 

"Orpiment" is a kind of reddish-yellow mineral which was used in ancient times to paint over mistakes one made when writing.

During the Ch'in dynasty, there lived a man named Wang Yan, who was very eloquent. Wang Yan worked for the government, and would often travel from place to place lecturing the affairs of the country. His lectures were very thorough, and he also added in his own opinions, so his audience always understood him, Wang Yan was a very well-known lecture, admired by everyone.

Whenever Wang Yan gave a lecture, he was always at ease and unhurried. If he made a slip of tongue, he would calmly go back and correct himself. Therefore people said that the "had orpiment in his mouth".

People of later generations expanded this idiom. Randomly saying things for which one has no proof is now known as "randomly speaking out orpiment."

 

 

信口雌黄

 

 

 

     「雌黄」是一种黄红色的矿物。古时候的人写字用黄色的纸，写错了都用雌黄涂抹。

 

     晋朝时候，有一个叫王衍的人，他年轻的时候，口才就很好。后来他在政府机关做事，更是常常引用他读过的「老子」、「庄子」中的道理，到各处讲演，讲国家大事。因为他讲得很详细，又随时加上自己的看法，所以人人都听得懂。在那个时候，他已经是很有名的演说家了，大家都很佩服他。

 

      王衍在很多人面前讲演的时候，总是不慌不忙，有时候把内容讲错了，就很从容地随口改正，于是人们说他是「口中雌黄」。

小吃 snack
中国吃的文化是由来已久，但怎样把中国吃的文化介绍出去，怎样用英文来表达呢。虽然很多人喜欢以拼音来表达，但没吃过中国小吃的老外肯定是不能理解的。还是让我们一块来学习一下吧。
　中式早点：
　　烧饼　Clay oven rolls
　　油条　Fried bread stick
　　韭菜盒Fried leek dumplings
　　水饺　Boiled dumplings
　　蒸饺　Steamed dumplings
　　馒头　Steamed buns
　　割包　Steamed sandwich
　　饭团　Rice and vegetable roll
　　蛋饼　Egg cakes
　　皮蛋　100-year egg
　　咸鸭蛋Salted duck egg
　　豆浆　Soybean milk
　饭 类：
　　稀饭　Rice porridge
　　白饭　Plain white rice
　　油饭　Glutinous oil rice
　　糯米饭Glutinous rice
　　卤肉饭Braised pork rice
　　蛋炒饭Fried rice with egg
　　地瓜粥Sweet potato congee
　面 类：
　　馄饨面Wonton & noodles
　刀削面Sliced noodles
　　麻辣面Spicy hot noodles
　　麻酱面Sesame paste noodles
　　鴨肉面Duck with noodles
　　鱔魚面Eel noodles
　　乌龙面Seafood noodles
　　榨菜肉丝面Pork , pickled mustard green noodles
　　牡蛎细面　Oyster thin noodles
　　板条　Flat noodles
　　米粉　Rice noodles
　　炒米粉Fried rice noodles
　　冬粉　Green bean noodle
　汤 类：
　　鱼丸汤Fish ball soup
　　貢丸汤Meat ball soup
　　蛋花汤Egg & vegetable soup
　　蛤蜊汤Clams soup
　　牡蛎汤Oyster soup
　　紫菜汤Seaweed soup
　　酸辣汤Sweet & sour soup
馄饨汤Wonton soup 、
　　猪肠汤Pork intestine soup
　　肉羹汤Pork thick soup
　　鱿鱼汤Squid soup
　　花枝羹Squid thick soup
　甜　点：
　　爱玉　Vegetarian gelatin
　　糖葫芦Tomatoes on sticks
　　长寿桃Longevity Peaches
　　芝麻球Glutinous rice sesame balls
　　麻花　Hemp flowers
　　双胞胎Horse hooves
　冰　类：
　　绵绵冰Mein mein ice
　　麦角冰Oatmeal ice
　　地瓜冰Sweet potato ice
　　紅豆牛奶冰Red bean with milk ice
　　八宝冰Eight treasures ice
　　豆花　Tofu pudding
　果　汁：
　　甘蔗汁Sugar cane juice
　　酸梅汁Plum juice
　　杨桃汁Star fruit juice
　　青草茶Herb juice
　点 心：
　　牡蛎煎Oyster omelet
　　臭豆腐Stinky tofu (Smelly tofu)
　　油豆腐Oily bean curd
　　麻辣豆腐　Spicy hot bean curd
　　虾片　Prawn cracker
　　虾球　Shrimp balls
　　春卷　Spring rolls
　　蛋卷　Chicken rolls
　碗糕　Salty rice pudding
　　筒仔米糕　Rice tube pudding
　　红豆糕Red bean cake
　　绿豆糕Bean paste cake
　　糯米糕Glutinous rice cakes
　　萝卜糕Fried white radish patty
　　芋头糕Taro cake
　　肉圆　Taiwanese Meatballs
　　水晶饺Pyramid dumplings
　　肉丸　Rice-meat dumplings
　　豆干　Dried tofu
　其 他：
　　当归鸭 Angelica duck
　　槟榔　Betel nut
　　火锅　Hot pot 

Congee
　中国人从古时就有喝粥的习惯，记得看古装电影里经常有大户人家在自家门口煮一大窝粥来给要饭的乞丐和穷人们吃。到现在煮粥的花样百出，用料丰富，推出了很多种不同档次的粥。我喜欢喝粥，特别是鱼片粥，它味道清淡鲜美还十分滋补。记得在电视上看到不少南方人也没事总喜欢在家煲粥煲汤来喝。我知道外国人应该没有什么喝粥的习惯，甚至很多外国人还认为粥的样子很恶心。但我确实也听到不少在中国生活的外国人说他们特别喜欢喝罐装的八宝粥，因为它方便、卫生，口味也不错。

        Since ancient times, Chinese have customarily consumed "粥" (pronounced "zhou," meaning 'congee'). Even in old movies, you can often see portrayals of rich families cooking congee in their doorways for beggars and the poor to come eat. Even now, there is an assortment of ways to make congee with many different types of additives and ingredients. The different additives and ingredients create multiple classes of congee of varying quality. My favorite type of congee, especially in the summertime, is cold and sweet, usually consisting of different kinds of nutritious beans, grains, and fruits. The consumption of congee is not common outside of China, so much so that foreigners often see congee and – by its looks alone – believe it to be unappetizing, when in fact (with its multifarious flavors and consistencies) congee has offers something for every person's tastes. Still, most foreigners I have come across who live in China say they love to eat congee, especially the Ba Bao (Eight Treasures) congee that comes in a convenient resealable can with a folding disposable spoon – a convenient, hygienic, easily transportable way to eat a delicious, healthy "on-the-go" snack or meal. 

Beijing Opera (京剧)

Beijing Opera

In the Qing Dynasty, huiban ---- opera troupes featuring the tunes of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces and funded by the richest merchants in the city of Huizhou---began to arrive in Beijing. They performed with Opera troupes from Hubei who sang in the Han tunes, and over time they influenced each other. Eventually, Beijing Opera was formed.

Everyone who sees a performance of Chinese opera can grasp what the actor or actress is doing even without understanding the language, because all the movements performed on the stage are created from real life and conform to the respective roles.

In traditional Chinese operas there is a minimum of stage equipment; the time, environment, relations among the roles and characters of the people in the story are all demonstrated through singing, speaking and body movements. For example, there is no door on the stage, but the presence of a door is conveyed quite clearly to the audience when a performer makes the gestures of opening a door, stepping through and closing it again. This type of artistic exaggeration is brought to perfection in the superb martial arts skills of the performers when simulating battles. Stylized patterns of singing, dialogue, acting and acrobatics were gradually formed --- all in coordination with specific musical rhythms.

At the same time, the roles were classified according to the sex, age, personality and social status of each character ---into sheng, dan, jing and chou

 

This page is from: http://www.mqzy.com/learnchinese/culture/beijing_opera.htm

汉服 (Han Clothing)

         Han Chinese clothing, or Hanfu (汉服,literally "Clothing of the Han people") refers to the traditional clothing of the Han Chinese, the predominant ethnic group of China.

According to legend, the first ruler of the Chinese nation and the ancestor of the Chinese people is an immemorial sage king called Huang-Di(the Yellow Emperor). According to traditional reckoning, he unified the North China Plain in 2697 BC. Legends say that under his rule, China was a prosperous and powerful nation with stable politics and advanced culture. Many cultural and technological inventions are attributed to his reign, such as the Chinese written language, methods of agriculture, music, the Chinese calendar and so on. The Yellow Emperor's imperial consort, Luo-Zu, was said to be the first person to know how to raise silkworms and make silk from the silkworm cocoon, from which Hanfu was woven. Thus the Chinese Hanfu was invented.

Hanfu was regarded by Han Chinese as a very important part of their culture. The wearing of appropriate styles of Hanfu was an important part of courteous refined behaviour. Confucius considered Hanfu a very important part of Chinese ceremony and ritual and many of his quotations contain references to Hanfu.

As its name suggests, Hanfu encompasses all types of traditional clothing worn by the Han Chinese ethnic group. As such, it has a history as long as the history of the Han Chinese people. Hanfu was eliminated by Manchu invaders by force in the 17th century, and is not widely regarded in China as a national costume (unlike Qipao) and public awareness survives to a limited extent through periodic dramas and films.

Many traditional costumes of Asian countries, such as the kimono in Japan, the royal and traditional dress of Vietnam, Korean traditional dress hanbok are heavily influenced by Hanfu due to the extensive cultural exchanges between the neighbouring countries. In contrast to China, Traditional Japanese and Korean dress have not been affected by similar changes like in China and have been preserved over the centuries, and have retained many core elements of the original Hanfu.

After the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, Manchu-style dress and the pigtail prevailed but was eventually replaced with modern dress (western style clothing). Today most Han Chinese wear western-style clothing, and Han Chinese clothing is largely unknown.As part of wider revivalist movement in traditional Chinese culture, Hanfu is receiving attention from Hanfu advocates who are campaigning to have it accepted as national costume.

 

 

汉服，即中国汉族的传统民族服饰，主要是指约公元前21世纪在至公元17世纪中叶（明末清初）近4000年中，以华夏（汉后又称汉民族）民族文化为基础，通过自然演化而形成的具有独特华夏民族文化风貌性格，区别于其它民族的传统服装的装饰体系；或者说：“汉民族传统服饰（汉服）”是从夏商周时期到明朝，华夏（汉）民族所著的、具有浓郁华夏（汉）民族风格的一系列华夏（汉）民族服饰的总体集合。

 

汉服的历史和发展

汉服是世界上历史最悠久的民族服饰之一。《史记》载，华夏衣裳为黄帝所制。“黄帝之前，未有衣裳屋宇。及黄帝造屋宇，制衣服，营殡葬，万民故免存亡之难。”（《史记》卷一　五帝本纪　第一）约五千年前，中国在新石器时代的仰韶文化时期，就产生了原始的农业和纺织业，开始用织成的麻布来做衣服，后又发明了饲蚕和丝纺，人们的衣冠服饰日臻完备。黄帝时代冕冠出现，服饰制度逐渐形成。夏商以后，冠服制度初步建立，西周时，逐渐完备。周代后期，由于政治、经济、思想文化都发生了急剧的变化，特别是百家学说对服饰的完善有着一定的影响，诸侯国间的衣冠服饰及风俗习惯上都开始有着明显的不同。并创造深衣。冠服制被纳入了“礼治”的范围，成了礼仪的表现形式，从此中国的衣冠服制更加详备。

汉族的这一服饰制度自周代至明代，三千年来汉人服装的基本特征是没有大的该变。一直三百多年的清初，这一服饰制度才崩溃。1644年明朝灭亡后，清在与南明的战争中，清朝统治者为了达到削弱汉人的民族认同感，以便于维护满洲贵族统治的目的，而大力推行满族发型和满族服装，并以残酷的手段禁止人民穿戴汉族服饰，史称“剃发易服”（“剃发”也作“薙发”）。这使得汉服逐渐消亡。当时孔子的后裔衍圣公孔闻謤上书多尔衮，请求保存孔府家服饰，说：“先圣为典礼之宗……定礼之大要莫于冠服……惟臣家衣冠，三千年来未曾变易……”，遭到多尔衮拒绝。 今天的旗袍、长衫、马褂都是以满族为主体的民族服饰的改良和发展，而非汉族传统的民族服饰。

辛亥革命推翻满洲贵族的统治之后，人们的思想趋于西化，改穿西式服装，没有恢复汉服。但在21世纪初，随着中国国力的发展，人们开始审视自己传统文化中的优秀部分。一些人又重新倡导恢复传统汉服并身着汉服进行推广。对于这些人的行为，社会上有各种不同的看法，详见下面的争议部分。

 

汉服的特点和样式

汉服的主要特点是交领、右衽，不用扣子，而用绳带系结，给人洒脱飘逸的印象。这些特点都明显有别于其它民族的服饰。汉服有礼服和常服之分。从形制上看，主要有“上衣下裳”制（裳在古代指下裙）、“深衣”制（把上衣下裳缝连起来）、“襦裙”制（襦，即短衣）等类型。其中，上衣下裳的冕服为帝王百官最隆重正式的礼服；袍服（深衣）为百官及士人常服，襦裙则为妇女喜爱的穿著。普通劳动人民一般上身着短衣，下穿长裤。

 

配饰：

头饰是汉族服饰的重要部分之一。

古代汉族男女成年之后都把头发绾成发髻盘在头上，以笄固定。男子常常戴冠、巾、帽等，形制多样。

女子发髻也可梳成各种式样，并在发髻上佩带珠花、步摇等各种饰物。鬓发两侧饰博鬓，也有戴帷帽、盖头的。、

 

汉服对中国周边其它民族服饰的影响

和服

在日本的奈良时代，也即中国的盛唐时期，日本派出大量遣唐使到中国学习中国的文化艺术、律令制度，这其中也包括衣冠制度。当时他们还模仿唐制颁布了“衣服令”。至今日本仍把和服称为“吴服”(和服这个词是西方人对日本吴服的称谓,日本人逐渐接受了这个词,但是在日本卖和服的商店,一般称为吴服,少有和服的称谓)，意为从中国的吴地（今江浙一带）传来的衣服。初期和服为唐服翻版，之后的盛装十二单的外套华服也被称为“唐衣”（李氏朝鲜礼服外套也称为唐衣，虽然两者已经有了更多的民族特色）。和服虽由汉服发展而来，但经过漫长的历史时期，已经发展岀自己的民族特色。如男服的裤子，江户时期之后女服腰带逐渐增宽到比较大的尺度，腰带鼓节移到后背并发展出种种样式，也是区别和服与汉服的主要标志。和服衣料上的纹饰等往往也具有鲜明的日本民族特色。

 

越服

越南古称交趾，公元968年，丁部领建立丁朝，开始成为独立的封建王朝，自称“大瞿越国”。在服饰上，尤其是宫廷礼服，国王、大臣的朝服，几乎就是中国汉族王朝宫廷礼服，皇帝、大臣朝服的翻版，试以越南末代国王保大所着之弁冠、兖服来看，与明朝宗藩服饰如出一辙，不过比之明朝皇帝，其造型显得小一号而已，以汉族帝王的正式礼服——冕旒兖服为例，明代皇帝的冕旒是十二旒的，越南是六旒的。满清占据中国之后的两百多年间，与中国南疆山水相连的安南（越南），仍然完好的保存着明式衣冠，从十九世纪末二十世纪初法国殖民者在越南存留下来的许多珍贵照片和大量的历史数据可以明确的反映出这一点，（附图）有一个典型的例子就是，1898年驻云南府（今昆明）的法国领事方苏雅（Auguste Francois 1857.8.20~1935.7.4）所著龙袍的照片，（附图）被许多人误认为是古代皇帝的龙袍或者中国戏曲中的装束，实际上，方苏雅所著之服，乃是安南国王的朝服，从造型看，和明代宗藩、大臣的朝服一般无二。

 

韩服

唐代时，新罗与唐朝交往甚密，服饰特点几乎与唐朝无异，李氏朝鲜中期之后韩服特别是女服朝高腰襦裙发展，同汉服区别逐渐增大，但官服，朝服，宫廷重要礼服仍一直保留较多汉服制度，并随汉服变化而变化，如唐朝时官员的乌纱幞头的后系带为下垂带样式，新罗官员幞头同为此样式，而明代之后改为展角样式，李朝也改为短展角；如李朝王后大礼服一直都为中国皇后翟衣样式。而现代韩服和汉服的主要不同之处：汉服一般是交领右衽，也有对襟的（V字领），而朝鲜服装的交领发展为小v领；女服裙子束的特别高，而且下摆十分宽大、蓬松。

 

This passage is from http://www.foreignercn.com/index.php/action_viewnews_itemid_978.html

由{0}发表于 carnation04@21cn.com @ 10:03 PM CDT [ Comments [0] ]