During the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), Handan, the
capital of the State of Zhao, was famous for people's walking
style. They walked in vigorous elegant strides. People in other
places admired them very much. They thought the Handanners' way of
walking was the best under the heaven. Several young lads from the
State of Yan even wanted to copy the elegant walking style of the
Handanners. So they traveled a long way to Handan to learn how to
walk.
While in Handan, these young lads watched the local people
carefully, eager to find out how they walked. But however they
tried, they just couldn't walk the way the Handanners did. To make
things worse, when they decide to give up and go home, they found
they had forgotten their own way of walking. They had to crawl all
the way back.
People use this idiom to describe someone who imitates others
blindly only to lose his own individuality.
Chéng
jiā
lì
yè
【
成
家
立
業(yè)
】
Get married and start one's
career
Chéng
rén
zhī
měi
【
成
人
之
美
】
Help somebody to fulfill his
(her) wish; help somebody in doing a good deed or achieving
something desirable
Chéng
xīn
chéng
yì
【
誠
心
誠
意
】
Earnestly and sincerely; in
all sincerity
Chéng
huāng
chéng
kǒng
【
誠
惶
誠
恐
】
In fear and trepidation; to
act with the utmost caution
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