Conjure
up clouds with one turn of one's hand and rain with another.
(Chinese original:翻云覆雨； Chinese Pinyin:  Fān-yún-fù-yǔ)
|
To
say that someone can conjure up clouds and rain with his turn of hand
is to say that he is capricious or skillful at playing tricks. |
- A
flying moth throws itself into a fire.
(Chinese original: 飞蛾投火； Chinese Pinyin: Fēi-é-tóu-huǒ.)
|
- To say
one is a flying moth that throws itself into a fire is to say that he
is looking for his own demise.
|
- To
be like neither a donkey nor a horse.
(Chinese original: 非驴非马； Chinese Pinyin: Fēi-lǘ-fēi-mǎ.)
|
- If something
one has created is like neither animals, then it must be something awkward
and laughable.
|
- In
face of evil, one would rather be a jade broken than a
brick intact.
(Chinese original: 逢奸宁可玉碎，气正不求瓦全； Chinese Pinyin: Féng jiān nìng kě yù suì, qì zhèng bù qiú wǎ quán.)
|
- One would
rather die than surrender.
|
- On
the same boat in a tempest.
(Chinese original: 风雨同舟； Chinese Pinyin: Fēng-yǔ-tóng-zhōu.)
|
- Going
through hardships together.
|
Burn
a forest to farm and drain a pond to fish.
(Chinese original: 焚林而畋，竭泽而渔； Chinese Pinyin: Fén-lín-ěr-tián,
jié-zé-ěr-yú.)
|
Isn't
this what some of us doing today to our environment against the 3000-year
old proverbial warning? In many other aspects we are also prone to such
mistakes: in trying to achieve an end by all means, we wittingly or
unwittingly ignore the consequences. |
- (As
rare as ) phoenix feather and unicorn horns.
(Chinese original: 凤毛麟角；
Chinese Pinyin: Fèng-máo-lín-jiǎo.)
|
- According
to Chinese legends, phoenix's feather and unicorn's horns are the rarest
things one can find in the world.
|
- Remove
firewood from under a pot.
(Chinese original: 釜底抽薪；
Chinese Pinyin: Fǔ-dǐ-chōu-xīn.)
|
- Solve
a problem thoroughly.
|
- Water
spilled can never be retrieved.
(Chinese original: 覆水难收；
Chinese Pinyin: Fù-shuǐ-nán-shōu.)
|
- Things
have developed to a degree that there is no turning
back.
|
- Wade
through boiling water and scorching flame.
(Chinese original: 赴汤蹈火；
Chinese Pinyin: Fù-tāng-dǎo-huǒ.)
|
- If
one can do this, he is courageous enough to do anything.
|
- Give
it to the Yangtze that rambles east to the sea.
(Chinese original: 付诸东流； Chinese Pinyin: Fù zhū
dōng liú.)
|
When
you give something to the Yangtze that brings it to the waters, then
everything you have been doing is in vain. |
