Chinese allegories
歇后語
Two-part allegorical saying (of which the first part, always stated, is descriptive, while the second part, often unstated, carries the message)
qí lǘ kàn chàng běn – zǒu zhe qiáo
騎驢看唱本 – 走著瞧
Reading a play while riding a donkey – wait and see
qiān lǐ sòng é máo – lǐ qīng qíng yì zhòng
千里送鵝毛 -- 禮輕情意重
Goose feather sent from 500 kilometers away – a small gift sent from afar conveys deep feeling
xiù cai yù dào bīng – yǒu lǐ jiǎng bù qīng
秀才遇到兵 -- 有理講不清
A man with a pen encounters a man with a gun – you can't reach an agreement between the two kinds of people
ròu bāo zi dǎ gǒu – yǒu qù wú huí
肉包子打狗 – 有去無回
Throw a meat-stuffed bun at a dog – something gone, never to return
lǎo shǔ zuān jìn fēng xiāng lǐ – liǎng tóu shòu qì
老鼠鉆進(jìn)風(fēng)箱里 -- 兩頭受氣
A rat sneaks into a bellows – get blame from both sides; be caught between the hammer and the anvil
gǒu yǎo lǚ dòng bīn – bù shí hǎo rén xīn
狗咬呂洞賓 – 不識(shí)好人心
Snarl and snap at Lu Dongbin (one of the eight immortals in Chinese mythology) – mistake a good man for a bad one
dà shuǐ chōng le lóng wáng miào – zì jiā rén bú rèn zì jiā rén
大水沖了龍王廟 – 自家人不認(rèn)自家人
The flood inundates the temple of the Dragon King – People on the same side fight each other by mistake
tiě dǎ de gōng jī – yì máo bù bá
鐵打的公雞 -- 一毛不拔
Iron cock – stingy person
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