Four-character wisdom from centuries of culture
Sài wēng shī mǎ
The old man at the frontier lost his horse
An old man on the border lost his horse. He said it might be a blessing. The horse returned with a better one. He said that might be a curse. His son later broke his leg riding that horse, but was spared from the war because of it.
Bad luck can turn into good fortune.
Yú gōng yí shān
Yu Gong wanted to move the two big mountains in front of his house
Yugong's house was blocked by mountains. He decided to dig them away with his family. A wise man mocked him, but Yugong said, "My descendants will keep digging, but the mountains won't grow." Moved by his resolve, the gods moved the mountains.
Persistence and determination conquer all obstacles.
Wò xīn cháng dǎn
Sleeping on brushwood and often tasting gall
After defeat, King Goujian of Yue slept on brushwood and tasted gall every day to remind himself of his humiliation. After years of hardship, he led his state to victory.
Endure hardship and use shame as motivation to achieve a great goal.
Huà shé tiān zú
After drawing a snake, adding feet to it
In a snake-drawing contest, the first to finish would win wine. One man finished first, but added feet to his snake while waiting. Another man finished and claimed the wine, saying, "Snakes have no feet. I finished first."
Adding unnecessary things ruins a good thing.
Shǒu zhū dài tù
Waiting by a tree stump for a rabbit to crash into it
A farmer once got a hare that crashed into a tree stump. He then gave up farming and waited by the stump every day for another hare. He got nothing.
It's foolish to hope for unearned gains or stick rigidly to old ways.
Yà miáo zhù zhǎng
Pulling up seedlings to help them grow
An impatient farmer thought his seedlings grew too slowly, so he pulled each one up a bit. He proudly told his family he had "helped" them grow. The seedlings all died.
Hurrying things against their nature leads to failure.
Bān mén nòng fǔ
Wielding an axe before Lu Ban's (the master carpenter) door
Lu Ban was the greatest carpenter in ancient China. Showing off your woodworking skills in front of his house would make you a laughingstock.
Don't show off your slight skill in front of a master.
Xiōng yǒu chéng zhú
Before painting bamboo, having a complete image of bamboo in one's mind
Painter Wen Tong excelled at bamboo because he had a clear, complete image of it in his mind before painting. This allowed him to paint with confidence.
To have a well-thought-out plan before acting leads to success.
Jǐng dǐ zhī wā
A frog at the bottom of a well
A frog living in a well thought the sky was only as big as the well's opening. It was stunned when a sea turtle described the vast ocean.
A person with a limited perspective cannot comprehend the wider world.
Làn yú chōng shù
An incompetent person pretending to be skilled in a musical ensemble
King Xuan of Qi enjoyed a 300-person "Yu" orchestra. Nanguo, who couldn't play, blended in and pretended. When the new king preferred solos, Nanguo fled.
Those without real skills who hide among the competent will eventually be exposed.
More coming soon...