culture
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Calling a Stag a Horse | 指鹿为马
The story of Prime Minister Zhao Gao testing court loyalty by calling a stag a horse, leading to ...
Dong Shi Imitates Xi Shi | 东施效颦
The story tells of Dong Shi, an ugly woman who blindly imitates the beautiful Xi Shi's pained exp...
The Plum Dies for the Peach | 李代桃僵
This idiom, derived from a folk song, uses the metaphor of a plum tree sacrificing itself for a p...
The Confucian Poise | 儒学风度
Two anecdotes from the Song and Ming periods satirize the rigid and performative nature of Confuc...
Huang Gong's Daughters | 黄公嫁女
Huang Gong's excessive modesty backfires when he constantly describes his beautiful daughters as ...
Three Visits to the Cottage | 三顾茅庐
This story recounts how Liu Bei, ruler of the weak Shu kingdom, persistently visited the recluse ...
Mao Sui Recommends Himself | 毛遂自荐
During the Warring States Period, Mao Sui volunteered to accompany Duke Pingyuan to Chu and, by b...
The Black Sheep | 害群之马
The idiom 'The Black Sheep' originates from a story where the legendary Emperor Huangdi learns fr...
The Fate of the Hunting Dog | 兔死狗烹
This story recounts how the Yue King Gou Jian eliminated his loyal minister Wen Zhong after achie...
Recommending Zhuge Liang on Horseback | 走马荐诸葛
Cao Cao lures Liu Bei's advisor Xu Shu away by exploiting his filial piety. Before leaving, Xu Sh...
Waiting by the Stump | 守株待兔
This fable tells of a farmer who, after a lucky accident, abandons work to wait for more luck, sa...
Love Me, Love My Dog | 爱屋及乌
This story recounts how the ancient King of Zhou, by wisely choosing to release prisoners of war ...
The Boatmaker and the Boatman | 治舟驾舟
A master boatmaker in Yue, trusted and rewarded by the king, overconfidently claimed to also be a...
Strike While the Iron is Hot | 一鼓作气
This story explains the idiom "一鼓作气" through a historical battle where waiting for the enemy's sp...
Playing the Lute to a Cow | 对牛弹琴
This story tells of a musician who played elegant music for a cow, which ignored him, illustratin...
A Dagger Behind the Smile | 笑里藏刀
This story recounts how the Tang Dynasty minister Li Yifu, despite his charming smile, was a vici...
Broken Mirror Rejoined | 破镜重圆
This article recounts the ancient Chinese story behind the idiom "Broken Mirror Rejoined," where ...
Food Handled Out in Contempt | 嗟来之食
During a famine in ancient Qi, an arrogant noble's contemptuous offer of food is refused by a sta...
Adding the Finishing Touch | 画龙点睛
The idiom 'Adding the Finishing Touch' originates from a tale about painter Zhang Sengyao, whose ...
Kindly Step into the Vat | 请君入瓮
The story recounts how the cruel judge Lai Junchen used Zhou Xing's own torture method—a scorchin...