dramatic form consisting of historical narration / history as jocular narrative / to stretch history for a joking story / amusing story with strained interpretations of history / to make an unreasonable comparison in jest
the Book of History, one of the Five Classics of Confucianism 五經|五经[Wu3 jing1], a compendium of documents which make up the oldest extant texts of Chinese history, from legendary times down to the time of Confucius, also known as 尚書經|尚书经[Shang4 shu1 jing1], 尚書|尚书[Shang4 shu1], 書|书[Shu1]
the not-very-distant past / modern times, excluding recent decades / (in the context of Chinese history) the period from the Opium Wars until the May 4th Movement (mid-19th century to 1919) / capitalist times (pre-1949)
lit. when covered with lice, one doesn't feel the itching anymore, and when up to one's ears in debt, one ceases to worry about it (saying) / fig. to be past worrying (about sth)
Three Kingdoms period (220-280) in Chinese history / any of several Three Kingdoms periods in Korean history, esp. from 1st century AD to unification under Silla 新羅|新罗[Xin1luo2] in 658
History of Three Kingdoms (Korean: Samguk Sagi), the oldest extant Korean history, compiled under Kim Busik 金富軾|金富轼[Jin1 Fu4 shi4] in 1145. The three kingdoms are Goguryeo 高句麗|高句丽[Gao1 gou1 li2], Baekje 百濟|百济[Bai3 ji4], Silla 新羅|新罗[Xin1 luo2].
Book of History / a compendium of documents in various styles, making up the oldest extant texts of Chinese history, from legendary times down to the times of Confucius
the three imperishables, three ways to distinguish oneself that aren't forgotten by history: through one's virtue 立德[li4 de2], one's service 立功[li4 gong1] and one's writings 立言[li4 yan2] (from the Zuo Zhuan 左傳|左传[Zuo3 Zhuan4])
to put one's hands behind one's head, fingers interlaced / to hold one's head in one's hands (in dismay, fright etc) / to cover one's head with one's hands (for protection)
to turn one's head / to turn around / (fig.) to return (to a previous point) / to come back (to what one was saying before) / (fig.) to look back (in time) / to reflect on the past
to erect (a tent etc) / to prick up (one's ears) / to raise (one's eyebrows) / to stick up (one's thumb) / to turn up (one's collar) / (of a bird) to puff up (one's feathers)
to change one's tune / to modify one's previous remark / to change the way one addresses sb (as when one marries and starts to call one's husband's parents 爸爸[ba4 ba5] and 媽媽|妈妈[ma1 ma5])
one's age, according to the traditional Chinese method of reckoning (i.e. the number of Chinese calendar years in which one has lived) – In this system, a person's age at birth is one, and increases by one at the beginning of the first solar term 立春[Li4 chun1] each year, rather than on one's birthday. / contrasted with 實歲|实岁[shi2 sui4]
(a line from a poem by the Tang poet Liu Yuxi 劉禹錫|刘禹锡[Liu2 Yu3 xi1]) one gains very little insight into one's enemy from a hundred victories, but he who breaks his arm three times will be a good doctor / (fig.) one learns more from one's failures than from one's successes
Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan City, built in 223, burnt down in 1884, rebuilt in 1985 / favored place of poet sages, who in legend arrived riding golden cranes / Tang poem by Cui Hao 崔顥|崔颢[Cui1 Hao4], with theme 'the past will never return' / one of three famous pagodas in China along with Yueyang Tower 岳陽樓|岳阳楼[Yue4 yang2 Lou2] in Yueyang, north Hunan, and Tengwang Tower 滕王閣|滕王阁[Teng2 wang2 Ge2] in Nanchang, Jiangxi
lit. the cart in front overturns, a warning to the following cart (idiom) / fig. draw lesson from the failure of one's predecessor / learn from past mistake / once bitten twice shy
lit. warning to the following cart (idiom) / don't follow the track of an overturned cart / fig. draw lesson from the failure of one's predecessor / learn from past mistake / once bitten twice shy
Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943), decisive battle of Second World War and one of the bloodiest battles in history, when the Germans failed to take Stalingrad, were then trapped and destroyed by Soviet forces
New History of the Yuan Dynasty, completed by Ke Shaomin 柯劭忞[Ke1 Shao4 min2] in 1920, sometimes listed as one of the 24 Dynastic Histories 二十四史[Er4 shi2 si4 Shi3]
Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864), a massive rebellion in southern China against the Qing Dynasty, led by Hong Xiuquan 洪秀全[Hong2 Xiu4quan2], who sought to establish the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom 太平天國|太平天国[Tai4ping2 Tian1guo2], resulting in one of the deadliest conflicts in history with millions of casualties
only have ... / there is only ... / (used in combination with 才[cai2]) it is only if one ... (that one can ...) (Example: 只有通過治療才能痊愈|只有通过治疗才能痊愈[zhi3 you3 tong1 guo4 zhi4 liao2 cai2 neng2 quan2 yu4] "the only way to cure it is with therapy") / it is only ... (who ...) (Example: 只有男性才有此需要[zhi3 you3 nan2 xing4 cai2 you3 ci3 xu1 yao4] "only men would have such a requirement") / (used to indicate that one has no alternative) one can only (do a certain thing) (Example: 只有屈服[zhi3 you3 qu1 fu2] "the only thing you can do is give in")
to belong to / to be affiliated to / to fall under the jurisdiction of / a place where one feels that one belongs / one's final destination (where one need look no further)
(of alcohol, love etc) to go to one’s head / (of an idea, a song etc) to get into one's head / to capture one's attention / (old) (of a girl on her wedding day) to start wearing one's hair in a bun (rather than a plait)
lit. to hope one's son becomes a dragon (idiom) / fig. to long for one' s child to succeed in life / to have great hopes for one's offspring / to give one's child the best education as a career investment
Confucian moral injunctions of fidelity / piety to one's parents, respect to one's older brother, loyalty to one's monarch, faith to one's male friends
lit. viewing the sky with a basin on one's head / it is hard to get a clear view of the sky while carrying a platter on one's head / fig. it is hard to get on in one's career while encumbered by family obligations / one can't perform a major task while bothered by other duties
four Confucian injunctions 孝悌忠信 (for men), namely: piety 孝 to one's parents, respect 悌 to one's older brother, loyalty 忠 to one's monarch, faith 信 to one's male friends / the four Confucian virtues for women of morality 德[de2], physical charm 容, propriety in speech 言 and efficiency in needlework 功
(idiom) as one climbs higher on the path of righteousness, one faces ever greater challenges from evil / no sooner does one overcome one obstacle than another arises
to bend to a task and spare no effort unto one's dying day (idiom) / striving to the utmost one's whole life / with every breath in one's body, unto one's dying day
lit. only one end of the barber's pole is hot (idiom) / fig. one-sided enthusiasm / one party is interested, but the other, not so much / (Note: In former days, street barbers carried their equipment on a pole, with tools and a stool at one end and a brazier at the other.)
lit. to eat meat from one's bowl, then put down one's chopsticks and scold one's mother (idiom) / fig. to complain despite being privileged / to be ungrateful for what one has been given
to come down / (completed action marker) / (after verb of motion, indicates motion down and towards us, also fig.) / (indicates continuation from the past towards us) / to be harvested (of crops) / to be over (of a period of time) / to go among the masses (said of leaders)
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