This is my all time favorite song. It’s called 珊瑚海 (shān hú hǎi, “Coral Sea”) from Jay Chou. It is so sad, but it holds lots of truths and I just love it. Plus it’s a Duo with Lara! And I also included the Pinyin version and English translation for those who are learning Chinese. Enjoy!
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成语：五颜六色
发音：wǔ yán liù sè
解释：形容色彩复杂或花样繁多。引伸为各色各样。
翻译：very colorful, many colors
This chengyu has the Noun 颜色 (color) in it. It is split up onto the second and forth place, which is something we will encounter often. Then there are the numbers 五 (five) and 六 (six). Literally it means “five and six colors”, but in a wider sense it just means “very colorful, many colors”.
For example:
成语：胡说八道
发音：hú shuō bā dào
解释：没有根据或没有道理地瞎说。
翻译：to talk nonsense
In ancient China the ethnic groups in northeast China were called 胡. Since the central plains of China could not understand their language they called it 胡说. Later this became a synonym for talking nonsense. (Not quite nice though…) 道 does not mean “to speak” in this case but means “way, path”. 八道 comes from Buddhism and refers to the eightfold path one must go through to reach nirvana. So this chengyu literally means “to talk nonsense about the eightfold path” but now we just mean “to talk nonsense” by it.
For example:
成语：乱七八糟
发音：luàn qī bā zāo
解释：形容无秩序，无条理，乱得不成样子。
Usually the numbers are on first and third place, but this time they are next to each other. 乱 means “chaotic, in a mess” and 糟 means something “dirty and rotten”. The numbers reinforce the meaning that everything is in a mess. You can use this chengyu a lot in everyday conversation, for example when you talk about a room, a place, an essay or someone’s non-existent abilities.
Example:
俗话：三思而后行
拼音：sān sī ér hòu xíng
翻译：Think thrice before you act.
Hope this is not hard to understand. 思 means to think, like 思索 and 行 means to act, like 行动. Literally it means “think thrice and then act”.
There is a story about this proverb. However, this time it’s not about its origins but just one that was invented later:
One couple had a gentle and confiding dog at home. They treated him very nice and the dog felt very happy. One day, however, the woman gave birth to a child and the dog became jealous and aggressive. The parents were worried that the dog would hurt their child and considered giving the dog away. But with the time passing, the dog learned that the baby would do him no harm and was also an enjoyable partner to play with. So he cared a lot about the baby and could even rock him to sleep. The parents were relieved to see them get along so well.
One day they made a trip to another city and left to dog at home to look after their child. It was late when they came back, and they were shocked to see their baby gone and the dogs mouth full of blood. (*yummy* =.=’) The father freaked out, dragged the dog outside and grabbed a knife. He was so full of rage that he killed the dog, without perceiving the incomprehensible and lugubrious look in the dog’s eyes. Of course, immediately after that a cry from the child had to come, and the confused parents finally realized that a snake had come into the house and the dog brought their child into their bedroom and fought of the snake. The father was full of remorse and this should teach us 三思而后行.
*End of today’s story time*
Note: It also exists as 三思后行, making it more like a Chengyu.
Related or not so related posts:People here in Germany sometimes ask me to translate their name into Chinese. However, I’m often not sure which characters to chose since there are standardized translations. So I just looked through several lists and noted the most common names. Hopefully this will help me remember them in the future. So if you are looking for the Chinese translation of a boy name, here is the list.
But first let me put down the characters that appear very often in translated names. You don’t have to memorize their meaning, but certainly their pronunciation since they appear a lot.
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成语：不堪一击
拼音：bù kān yī jī
解释：不堪：经不起。形容力量薄弱，经不起一击。也形容论点不严密，经不起反驳。
I like this one, too. 堪 means to withstand. 击 is an attack. a blow. Thus it means: “unable to withstand any blow” or simply put “vulnerable”. It can be used on essays, that arguments are weak and unpersuasive, on vulnerable people or on many other things like friendship, love, computer, technology etc. etc.
Example:
成语：一生一世
拼音：yī shēng yī shì
解释：一辈子
Nope, this is not “One World, One Dream” Olympic Fever. This chengyu is much older and would rather be “One Life, One World”. Hey, that doesn’t sound bad either! However, 一 means more “the whole” rather than “one”. Anyway, this just means “the whole life” or “always and forever”. And what to we expect to last always and forever? Of course it’s love again. For example in this song:
