Traditional Chinese idiom meaning to secretly replace crucial elements while maintaining appearances, illustrated by the Qin Dynasty succession plot.

Chinese Idiom - Tou Liang Huan Zhu: Swapping the Beams and Pillars

Mahjong is China's most popular traditional tile game with 144 pieces, requiring four players to form winning combinations through strategic play

Mahjong: More Than Just a Game

Explore Chinese tea culture in three parts — its 5,000-year history, six major tea types, and the art of the gongfu tea ceremony.

Chinese Tea Culture

Chinese Classic - Kong Rong Shares Pears

Chinese Idiom - You Can't Have Both the Fish and the Bear's Paw

China's Four Great Inventions - paper, compass, gunpowder, and printing - revolutionized communication, navigation, warfare, and knowledge sharing. These ancient innovations continue to influence our modern world in countless ways.

Four Great Inventions of China

The 12 Animals of the Chinese Zodiac

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic groups from the Eurasian Steppe. It is one of the most impressive architectural feats in history.
The wall was built over centuries by different dynasties, starting from as early as the 7th century BCE. The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, unified the existing walls into one in the 3rd century BCE. The best-known sections of the wall were built by the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), who improved the wall with watchtowers and platforms. 
The wall stretches for thousands of miles along China's historic northern border, from Liaodong in the east to Lop Lake in the west. Depending on how the wall is measured, it is somewhere between 4,000 and 5,500 kilometers long.
The wall has served many purposes besides defense, such as border control, trade regulation, immigration and emigration control, and cultural symbol. Today, it is a popular tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Great Wall of China: Beyond Borders and Time

Once upon a time, there was a man who asked the doctor what fruit to eat for his health.
Doctor: Different fruits are good for the body, but eating too much may also cause harm. For example, eating pears is good for the teeth, but eating too much can hurt the spleen and stomach. Eating jujubes is good for the spleen, but eating too much is bad for the teeth.
After hearing this, the man thought for a while and said: Then I can eat different fruits in different ways. For example, if I eat pears, I just chew but don’t swallow them; if I eat dates, I don’t need to bite them, I just swallow them!
The doctor listened, smiled and said: Haha, your method is not good. It is possible to chew pears without swallowing, but it is very difficult to eat dates without chewing. And if you swallow the dates like this, you can't appreciate the taste of the dates!
This is the origin of the idiom Huluntunzao, which is a metaphor for learning without seeking deep understanding, rote memorization, lack of thinking, and finally not learning real knowledge, nor being able to use knowledge flexibly.

Chinese Idiom Story - Hu Lun Tun Zao (Swallow Dates Whole)

Title: "To the Tune of Tianjingsha: Autumn Thoughts". Author: Ma Zhiyuan. Time period: Yuan Dynasty. Genre: Sanqu (literary song). Old trees are entwined with dead vines, and crows return to their nests at dusk. Under the small bridge, the stream is gurgling, and the smoke from the houses beside the stream is lingering. Riding a thin horse in the howling autumn wind, walking slowly on the desolate ancient road. As the sun sets, the extremely sad wanderer wanders in the ends of the earth.

To the Tune of Tianjingsha: Autumn Thoughts - Poem from Yuan Dynasty

In the Spring and Autumn Period, the King of Wu wanted to attack his neighbors, and the ministers persuaded him one after another. Not only did the King of Wu not listen, he also angrily said that he would execute those who continued to persuade him. But there was a clever child beside King Wu. In order to persuade King Wu, this child came to the garden of the palace with a slingshot for three consecutive days and stood under a big tree. The king of Wu was very curious when he saw the child's behavior, and asked him what he was doing. The child replied that there was a cicada on that tree, which had been singing without worry. But it didn't know that there was a praying mantis behind it, trying to catch it. And the mantis didn't realize that there was actually a squirrel behind it, which wanted to pounce on it and eat it. But the oriole only saw the praying mantis in front of it, but it didn't know that I was aiming at it with a slingshot to shoot it down. They all only saw the benefits in front of them, but did not realize the danger behind them. After hearing this, King Wu understood that if he attacked a neighboring country, other countries would take the opportunity to attack Wu, so he withdrew his decision to send troops. "The praying mantis catches the cicada, and the oriole follows" is a complex idiom derived from a fable, which is a metaphor for short-sightedness and harming others for the sake of short-term interests, but does not know that someone is also plotting against him in the same way.

Chinese Fable Story - Praying Mantis Stalks Cicada, Oriole Lurks Behind

One summer day in the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao led his army to set off. The soldiers were hot and thirsty from the long journey and under the scorching sun, but there was no water nearby. Cao Cao was very anxious when he saw that the dry mouth of the soldiers had seriously affected the march, but there was no immediate solution. In desperation, Cao Cao came up with a plan. He pointed his horsewhip at the hillside in front of him and shouted to the soldiers: There is a lush plum forest ahead. When you get there, you can enjoy the plums to quench your thirst. When the soldiers heard that there were plums, they immediately thought of the sour plum juice, and their saliva flowed out reflexively, and they suddenly felt less thirsty. So the soldiers continued on their way, and the marching speed increased. Soon after, Cao Cao led the team and finally found the water source. "Looking at plum blossoms and quenching thirst" is an idiom evolved from a fable. It tells people not to shrink back when they encounter difficulties, but to motivate themselves with the desire for success, so that they will have the courage to overcome difficulties and persevere. Keep trying. This idiom is also a metaphor for comforting oneself from unrealistic fantasies.

Chinese Fable Story - Wang Mei Zhi Ke (Quench the Thirst by Thinking of Plums)

Title: "Fisherman on the River". Author: Fan Zhongyan. Time period: Northern Song Dynasty. Genre: Five-Character Quatrain.
 
People coming and going on the river only love the delicious sea bass.
Look at the fisherman driving a small boat like a leaf, coming and going in the strong wind and waves.

Jiang Shang Yu Zhe (Fisherman on the River) - Poem from Northern Song Dynasty

Title: "(The Scenery of) Luchai". Author: Wang Wei. Time period: the glorious age of Tang Dynasty. Genre: Five-Character Quatrain. The mountain is empty and silent, no one can be seen, only the sound of human voices can be heard. The golden light of the setting sun shines directly into the deep forest, and shines on the moss in the dark place.

Lu Chai (The Scenery of Luchai) - Poem from Tang Dynasty

During the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a child named Sima Guang. He is very smart and eager to learn. Everyone likes him very much and has many friends. One day, he was playing with a few friends in the backyard. A child climbed onto the rockery in the yard and accidentally fell into a large tank filled with water next to him. The water was very deep, and the other friends were frightened, worried that he would be drowned. Some children even cried and shouted, and hurriedly asked adults to help. At this moment, Sima Guang picked up a big stone from the ground and threw it hard at the water tank. After several times of smashing, the water tank was smashed with a "bang", and the water flowed out of the tank, and the child who fell into the water tank was saved. This is the story of the famous Chinese historical allusion "Sima Guang smashed the vat".

Chinese Classic - Sima Guang Za Gang (Sima Guang Hit the Tank)

It is said that in ancient times, a young man surnamed Ye liked dragons very much. There are dragons carved on the stone pillars in front of the gate of his house, and a pair of big dragons on the roof. There are also dragons everywhere in the yard, including stones, walls, steps, etc. are decorated with dragon figures. Even the furniture, tableware and bedding in his home are decorated with dragons. The real dragon in the heaven was very moved when he heard that Ye Gong liked dragons so much, so he went down to the world to express his gratitude to him. On this day, Ye Gonggong was taking a nap when he was suddenly awakened by lightning and thunder. When he got up to close the window, he happened to meet the real dragon poking his head through the window. Ye Gong was frightened out of his wits by the huge dragon head, turned around and fled into the house, only to see a very huge dragon tail. Ye Gong had nowhere to escape, and was frightened and fainted immediately. Seeing Ye Gong who fainted, Zhenlong felt very baffled, and returned to the heaven in disappointment. It turns out that Ye Gong doesn't really like dragons, but just likes things that look like dragons but not dragons, so as to express himself in front of everyone. This is the story of the idiom "Ye Gong loves dragons", satirizing people who have duplicity and duplicity.

Chinese Idiom Story - Ye Gong Hao Long (Lord Ye Professed to Love Dragons)

Once upon a time there was a sheep raiser. One morning when he was grazing the sheep, he found a hole in the sheepfold. After careful inspection, it was found that a sheep was missing, and it was a wolf who got in through the hole at night and took it away. The neighbor advised him to repair the sheepfold as soon as possible. But the man said, the sheep are lost, so what's the use of repairing the sheepfold. But early the next morning, when the man was grazing the sheep, he found that there was another one missing in the flock. It seems that the wolf once again got in through the hole and took a sheep. He regretted not listening to his neighbor, so he quickly mended the hole in the sheepfold. Since then, his sheep have never been lost again. This is the story of the idiom "remedy after a sheep is lost", which means that after something goes wrong, you should find a way to remedy it in time to avoid more serious losses.

Chinese Idiom Story - Wang Yang Bu Lao (Mend the Fold after the Sheep Were Stolen)

Once upon a time, there was a man named Yu Gong who was nearly 90 years old. There are two big mountains in front of his house, the traffic is very tortuous, and it is very difficult to enter and exit the mountains. So he summoned the whole family and decided to try their best to dig the two mountains together.
The young and old in the family agreed one after another, and under the leadership of Yu Gong, they began to dig the mountain bit by bit.
After an old wise old man learned of this, he laughed at Yu Gong for being too stupid, how could he move the mountain with his old bones. Yu Gong said, after my death, there are still countless descendants who will continue to persevere, and one day they will be able to level the mountain.
Yu Gong's persistence moved the mountain god, and the mountain god reported the incident to the Emperor of Heaven. The Emperor of Heaven was also moved by Yu Gong's sincerity, and ordered the two sons of Hercules to carry the two mountains away.
This is the fable of "The Foolish Old Man Moves the Mountain".

Chinese Fable Story - Yu Gong Yi Shan (The Foolish Old Man Moves Mountains)

Once upon a time, a man thought that the seedlings he planted were not always tall enough, so he went to the field and pulled them up one by one by hand. After a busy day, I finally came home exhausted and out of breath. He said to his family, "I'm really exhausted today! However, I managed to make the seedlings grow taller at once!" But his son ran to the field and found that the seedlings were all dead. No one in the world does not want their crops to grow fast. Those who think that it is useless to maintain crops and ignore them are lazy people who only grow crops and do not weed. But those who think that pulling out the seedlings can help them grow, not only are their hard work useless, but they kill the crops. This is the story of the idiom, which tells people to follow the objective law of development of things. Wishful thinking and ignoring the "help" of its laws, eager for success, may backfire, and haste makes waste.

Chinese Idiom Story - Ya Miao Zhu Zhang (Haste Makes Waste)

Once upon a time, several blind men came to the palace to see the king. They wanted to know what the elephant looked like, and asked the king to touch the elephant with their own hands. The king agreed, and ordered his men to bring an elephant to satisfy the wishes of the blind people. But the elephant is so big that everyone can only touch a small part of the elephant. After a while, the king saw that they were almost done touching, and asked them if they understood what an elephant looked like now. The one who touched the ivory just now replied that it was like a big carrot, the one who touched the elephant's ear said it was like a big fan, the one who touched the elephant's head said it was like a stone, the one who touched the elephant's trunk said it was like a giant python, and the one who touched the elephant The one with the legs said it was like a big pillar, the one who touched the elephant's body said it was like a wall, and the one who touched the elephant's tail said it was like an elastic rope. As a result, a group of people thought that what they said was correct, so they kept arguing. At this moment the king laughed, lamenting the pointlessness of such an argument. I have never seen the whole body of an elephant, but I only touched a part of it, thinking I got the whole picture, but I was wrong about any of them. This is the story of the idiom The Blind Man Touching the Elephant, which is a metaphor for knowing things one-sidedly, only knowing a part of it rather than the whole picture, but making wild guesses that are clever. Only by fully understanding the actual situation and grasping the overall situation can we obtain the truth.

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