EASY CHINESE IDIOMS! With Emily Tangerine

杀鸡儆猴：SHA JI JING HOU

Killing The Chicken To Frighten The Monkey

Once upon a time, there was a street artist who purchased a monkey in hopes of turning it into a performing monkey. This particular monkey was not very obedient and gave the street artist a very hard time. The artist had enough and purchased a chicken on the market. He would terrorize the chicken by beating drums and making awfully loud noises. 

When the chicken was frozen in fear, the artist took a cleaver and beheaded the chicken in front of his disobedient monkey. By making an example out of the chicken, the artist was able to tame the mischievous monkey who never stepped out of line ever again.

Moral of the idiom: You might need to make an example of out something to prove a point. Also, fear (although not encouraged) might be the answer. 

ORIGINAL IDIOM: 杀鸡儆猴

从前，有个耍猴人买了一只不听话的猴子。艺人不太满意，就到市场买了一只公鸡，对它不断的敲锣打鼓。公鸡吓呆了，这个艺人正好趁机会在猴子面前把这只鸡给杀了。从此，艺人说什么，或敲锣打鼓，猴子毫不含糊的乖乖执行命令。

刻舟求剑：KUH JOU CHIU JIAN

During the Warring States, there was a man from the country of Chu. He was sailing on a small boat when all of a sudden, a gust of wind rocked the boat and knocked his sword into the water. Everyone on the boat expressed concern for him and encouraged him to immediately retrieve the sword. But the man was not worried and simply took out a knife and made a mark on the side of the boat. He then nonchalantly added, "My sword fell at the exact location of this mark."

He then encouraged the boat to keep sailing toward the dock. Everyone on the boat was a bit confused by the man's actions but they kept sailing. Once they docked, the man from Chu removed his clothes and jumped into the waters. He swam around to the location of the mark he made on the side of the boat to look for his sword. And to nobody's surprise, the sword could not be found. 

Moral of the idiom: One cannot be so obstinate and unwillingly to change. While one method might work for one purpose, it might not work elsewhere. Don't settle for an one purpose fits all solution.

ORIGINAL STORY: 刻舟求剑

战国时，有个楚国人乘坐一条小船过江。一阵风吹来，小船猛一摇晃，楚国人随身带的佩剑掉进江里。同船的人赶紧叫船家停船，让楚国人下去打捞。这个楚国人摇摇头，不慌不忙掏出小刀，在船舷上剑掉下去的地方，刻了一个记号，自言自语地说：我的剑是从这儿掉下去的！

然后他起身招呼船家继续行船。大家感到莫名其妙。不一会儿，船靠岸了，这位楚国人脱去衣服，从船舷上刻记号的地方跳下水去。他在水里捞来捞去，结果当然是毫无所获。

这个成语比喻办事刻板，拘泥固执，不知变通。

Once upon a time, there was a forest of cute little monkeys. You can imagine macaques, chimps, or even pygmy marmosets. They were playing near a well, but for the sake of Emily's version, it was a lake. Because let's be real, monkeys don't naturally gather around wells. 

One particular little monkey noticed that there was a reflection of the moon shining from the surface of the lake. Not knowing that it was merely a reflection, he freaked the heck out and thought the moon must have fell into the lake!

He then called all of his monkey friends over to the lake in hopes of scooping the moon back out. After all, if the moon fell into the lake, we must put it back into the sky! All of the monkeys agreed that the moon must be saved, and they all climbed up a nearby tree and clung to each other by their tails. (As pictured)

SO CUTE!

In ancient times, there was a talented musician by the name of Gong Ming Yi. He adored music so much he would carry his Zheng (a classical Chinese string instrument) everywhere he went.

Classical Gu Zheng 

One day, when Gong Ming Yi was on a walk, he came across a beautiful green pasture. He noticed a cow grazing in the middle of the pasture and sat down to play his instrument. Gong Ming Yi wanted to serenade the cow in this picturesque field, so he strummed the most complicated song he knew. The cow showed no reaction whatsoever. 

Gong Ming Yi figured the composition was probably too deep for the cow to understand, so he played another piece. This time, the cow glanced up at him, wagged his tail but then continued to graze mindlessly.

The musician then realized the cow would never understand his music. He was saddened by the cow's indifference to his talent...thinking his skills were not up to par. People would tell Gong Ming Yi that it was not that his skills were unimpressive, it's that the cow will never understand musicality. They insisted that the cow is simply dumb. 

Gong Ming Yi replied, "It's not that the cow that is dumb, it is me who is dumb. I did not realize to whom I was playing music."

Moral of The Idiom: Not everyone will speak the same language as you, so do not expect them to understand. Don't expect everyone to see eye-to-eye with you. Know the people you are communicating with, it might not necessarily be their fault for not level-ing with you.

ORIGINAL IDIOM: 对牛弹琴

古代时，有一位音乐家名叫公明仪，他才华出众，弹得一手好琴。他的琴声能把人带入如痴如醉的境地。

一天，公明仪来到郊外，他随身带着古琴。他来到一片草地，心想：大自然真美啊！

他兴致大发，忍不住要弹奏一曲，可是没有人欣赏。他看到不远处有头牛正在静静地吃草，四周一片翠绿，好一副和谐的春日图景。公明仪收环境的感染，心想：我就弹给牛听吧！

于是，他就在牛旁边坐下，认认真真弹了起来。他首先弹了一首高深的曲子，曲调婉转优美，极为动人，可那头牛却还在自顾自低头吃草，对美妙的琴声无动于衷。

公明仪觉得自己的琴声受到冷落，又生气又伤心。转念一想，也许牛听不懂那么高深的音乐于是又选了一首音律简单的曲子弹奏起来。那头牛有所触动，抬起头来看这边。公明仪非常高兴，以为自己的努力没有白费。牛晃晃尾巴，悠闲自在地走开了，完全不管公明仪的曲子。

过路人劝他说：不是你弹得不好，是牛听不懂啊！

公明仪感慨的说：不是牛愚蠢，是我自己蠢，弹琴得看对象。

这个成语比喻对愚蠢的人讲深奥的道理，对外行人讲内行的话；也用来讥笑讲道理不看对象的人，贬低那些听不懂别人高深道理的人。

Hey folks! I sat down with Dr. Dennis Zheng...in his own home and forced him to discuss the castration process with me. I felt as if it is my duty to educate everyone on how Chinese eunuchs prepared themselves for their new role as palace watchdogs. Dr. Zheng is a Harvard graduate with a whopping 3.7 GPA, but don't be alarmed...he makes up the missing 0.3 with his charm. 

After the death of China's first emperor: Qin Shi Huang Di (or more famously known as Emperor Qin). His son Qin the 2nd inherited the throne and became Emperor Qin 2. 

Emperor Qin 2 was just a figurehead as Prime Minister Zhao Gao, a eunuch, was the real power behind the throne. Back in China, you had to be castrated to serve closely to the Emperor, as not to impregnate his concubines. Zhao Gao was an especially clever eunuch, and while he may not have any balls, he held a LOT of power in the political sphere.

Prime Minister Zhao Gao wanted the Emperor's spot for his own, so he devised a plan to test out the loyalties of the other officials in the imperial court. He presented Emperor Qin 2 with a deer and said to him, "VOILA your highness, this is a horse!"

The young Emperor Qin 2 was shocked and said, "But Prime Minister, this is clearly a deer."

Prime Minister Zhao Gao stubbornly retorted, "Your highness, this is a horse! If you don't believe me, ask the other officials in the court."

Several of the court officials followed in Zhao Gao's lead because they feared his power and wrath. They went along in deceiving the young Emperor bleating: "Yes! It's a horse, a fine horse!"

Others took the honest route and defied Prime Minister Zhao Gao, and they were brought to their deaths. The officials who lied for Zhao Gao survived the test and even ended up with a pleasant promotion...moving up in ranks.

Moral of the Idiom: Someone who points at a deer, but insists on saying it's a horse is deliberately lying. It's also used to refer to someone who distorts the truth/reality. 

ORIGINAL IDIOM: 指鹿为马

秦始皇死后，宦官赵高把秦始皇的小儿子胡亥扶上王位，成为秦二世。赵高当了丞相，还想篡夺帝位。秦二世昏庸无道，对赵高言听计从。赵高一时权倾朝野。为了试探朝廷的大臣们，赵高想出一计。

有一天，上朝时，赵高把一头鹿献给秦二世。他指着鹿说：“这是臣献给陛下的一匹马！

秦二世很诧异： “丞相，这是一头鹿啊！“

赵高固执的说：“不，这是一匹马！不信你可以问问众位大臣。”

许多大臣畏惧赵高的权势，随声附和说：“对！对！是马，是匹好马！”

只有几个正直的大臣说是一头鹿。事后，赵高把那几个说是鹿的大臣都杀害了，而那些附和他的大臣，一个个被提拔重用。