San Guo related "Cheng Yu" (Sayings)

[Shi Tong]

ahh, I didn't realise that was Lu, I'm too used to the connecting line.



So now I have 人中呂布 馬中赤兔,

Ren Zhong Lu Bu, Ma Zhong something something. This is a guess, but is 兔colour(se4) ? Or is it Rabbit (Tou4), in other words- Ren Zhong Lu Bu, Ma Zhong ? Tou?

Is this a guessing thread?!

[Po Hsing]

Roughly translated 人中呂布 馬中赤兔 means

Among men there is Lu Bu
Among horses there is Red Hare

Essentially this means that Lu Bu is the best among men and Red Hare is the best horse.

The last character means Rabbit or Hare.

[Shi Tong]

right, totally understand now- I was getting confused because directly translated 人中 means "people middle", 馬中 means "horse middle", obviously these things are more literal so they need explaining to a non native Chinese speaker! As always though, it makes sense once you see the connection!

[Douglas]

All great stuff.

[CaTigeReptile]

I wonder why the Gall bladder seems to be very widespread in world cultures/sayings/civilizations as being the source of bravery. Maybe it's just a coincidence that English and Chinese use the same phrase to describe a bold, daring person. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm talking about the phrase "You've got a lot of gall to do that" (or "He's got gall" or "She's got some gall" or other variations). Sometimes it's positive and sometimes it's negative. But the phrase is said to come from one of the four (or five? I don't really know) Humors of medieval popularity - bile, of which the gall bladder produces. So it used to be a negative phrase.

That was such a tangent because everyone probably knows that already, but I just think it's cool whenever humans are blatantly the same.

[Li Zhen]

This one hasn't appeared yet:

"宁教我负天下人，休教天下人负我。"

"ning jiao wo fu tian xia ren, xiu jiao tian xia ren fu wo"

Cao Cao said it, and I tihnk it means he'd rather betray all the poeple of the world than let the world betray him.

[Shen Ai]

Another one would be:

"Heaven created the Yangtze to divide the north and south." Cao Pi's quote after his failed invasion of Wu.

[Vitruvius]

屈指可數 (qū zhǐ kě shǔ): Can be counted with fingers, i.e. few in numbers.

Story: When Zhuge Liang invaded Chen Cang, Cao Rui was anxious and asked Zhang He to lift the siege and at the same time asked him if Chen Cang would fall before he arrives. Zhang He told Cao Rui not to worry as he can "count Zhuge Liang's supplies with his fingers" and that he would certainly withdraw before long.

[Shi Tong]

A-ha! My old thread lives.

Let me add one...

既生瑜和生亮; "If the world already has a Zhou Yu, then why is there a Zhuge Liang".

Not sure it's used in China/ Taiwan!

[Shen Ai]

Cao Mao had one.


司馬昭之心, 路人皆知 translates into, "Even a commoner on the street knows what Sima Zhao is thinking"

Meaning, that Sima Zhao has obvious motives, that even a simple commoner can discern them. He has too much ambition or obvious thoughts.