The Chinese Sayings Podcast

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S8E02 | Blue, Blue, My World is Blue Jul 30, 2023

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This time we're featuring another oldie but goodie, Qīng Chū Yú Lán 青出于蓝. Though Xunzi was the inspiration for the chengyu, the tale behind this Chinese Saying comes from the Northern and Southern Dynasties period. The longer version of the saying goes 青出于蓝, 而胜于蓝 but we'll just focus on the front four and that's all you need for most situations where you want to remark about a student or apprentice, surpassing their teacher or master. Don't forget, all the terms for all the episodes can be found at my website at https://teacup.media. Thanks, everyone.

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S8E01 | Wouldn't Change a Thing Jul 16, 2023

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Welcome back my all history and Chengyu lovers to another Season of The Chinese Sayings Podcast. We're coming out of the starting gate fast and strong with another well-known and useful chengyu. Today we examine the 3rd century BC story behind Yī Zì Qiān Jīn ( 一字千金 ). This is the one that came to us direct from The Grand Historian Himself and it features Lü Buwei, Lady Zhao, and the father of the future first emperor of China, King Zhuangxiang. This is one of the classic stories from the Qin State. Stay cool everyone, especially all ya'lls in Arizona.

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Bonus Episode: Emma debuts on the Chinese Sayings Podcast May 21, 2023

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Emma's been integral to the CSP for a few seasons now. Here's one more nice chengyu that has loads of utility value. This time Emma herself, introduces the story behind the saying 世外桃源 Shì Wài Táo Yuán. This comes straight from the great Eastern Jin literatus Tao Yuanming. Many of us dreamers have thought about getting away from it all to escape to a utopian paradise. I hope you enjoy the story and Emma's telling of it. We'll be back next season with more useful and interesting Chinese Sayings.

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S7E10 | She's a Woman! May 07, 2023

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Another season, another twenty weeks. Thanks to everyone who tuned in to the CSP and to all of you who have discovered the show since I began posting it to my CHP feed. We end Season 7 with an old one from the Book of Jin 晋书 that contains two venerable co-stars from the Three Kingdoms era. This time we look at the amusing story behind the 巾帼英雄 Jīn Guó Yīng Xióng. The CSP will be back one more time with a bonus episode featuring Emma, the G.M. of the Teacup 成语研究中心. You won't want to miss that.

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S7E09 | I want you to show me the way Apr 23, 2023

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For our ninth offering of the season here's another golden oldie with a story that goes back almost 2,700 years to the time of the early Spring and Autumn Period. The story concerns the two major states of Qí and Yān and the two minor (and mostly forgotten) states of Lìngzhī and Gūzhú. Two major and extremely consequential characters from those times star in this story. These were Duke Huán of Qí and his advisor Guǎn Zhòng. They led their troops into the mountains on a punitive expedition and ended up getting hopelessly lost in the process. Fortunately, for all concerned, 老马识途 Lǎo Mǎ Shí Tú, and they were able to escape from their dilemma and live on to fight another day.

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S7E08 | All I Want Is To Be Next To You Apr 09, 2023

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That's right. The story behind our Chinese Saying for this time is quite recent as Chinese history goes. It takes place merely a thousand years ago, during the time of the Northern Song Dynasty. Just like location, location, location is what matters most in real estate, when it comes to getting ahead in your career, the same often holds true. One's location, relative to the boss, can sometimes make it or break it for you. As this story will show, if you're hoping to climb the ladder of success, sometimes a Jìn Shuǐ Lóu Tái 近水楼台 is all you need. A pavilion or a building near the water? How could that help an ambitious and aspiring bureaucrat in the government? Listen to this story that features the great Northern Song poet, politician, philosopher, writer, military strategist, and scholar-official, Fan Zhongyan.

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S7E07 | I Should've Known Better Mar 26, 2023

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This time around we're reaching all the way back to those fateful years following the fall of the Qin Dynasty and the contentious period of conflict between Liu Bang of Han and Xiang Yu of Chu. As these two rivals battle it out, Liu Bang sought advice from one of his advisors on a plan of action. But as we'll see, that plan is blown out of the water by the great hero of the early Han, Zhang Liang. In order to persuade Liu Bang of the folly of this plan, Zhang Liang will 借箸代筹 Jiè Zhù Dài Chóu, borrow chopsticks to illustrate his strategy. And using these chopsticks as a prop to illustrate his point, Zhang Liang blows this advisor's good idea out of the water.

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S7E06 | Locked and Loaded Mar 12, 2023

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Here comes one more textbook chengyu from the Spring and Autumn Period, as written by Master Zuo Qiuming 左丘明 himself. 厉兵秣马 Lì Bīng Mò Mǎ. Lots of marquee names from that exciting time, including Duke Mu of Qin and Duke Wen of Jin. Be sure to check the website for a handy downloadable cheat sheet listing all the Chinese names and terms. This one has a fair number of characters and place names. The kind of inter-kingdom rivalries that were one of the hallmarks of the Eastern Zhou are front and center in this 7th-century BC tale. This is a good Chinese Saying that has a few useful applications in real life. Thanks for listening.

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S7E05 | I Carry the Burden and Shame Feb 26, 2023

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We've reached the midway point in Season 7 with this exciting Chinese Saying from the Record of the Three Kingdoms. The backstory for this chengyu concerns the aftermath of the killing of Guan Yu by the forces of Eastern Wu. The star of this tale is Lu Xun 陆逊 (not 鲁迅). Sun Quan entrusted Lu Xun with an all-important mission. And from this mission to defeat Liu Bei came the saying 忍辱负重 Rěn Rǔ Fù Zhòng. Sometimes even when you're right, you must suffer ridicule and mockery for the sake of a higher mission that's not yet ripe for execution.

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S7E04 | Mirror Mirror On the Wall Feb 12, 2023

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This time we wander back to the 4th century BC to the State of Qi under its great King Wei. There was a handsome resident of Qi named Zou Ji who had a thing about a certain Mr. Xu. From Zou Ji's obsessive concern about his good looks compared to Mr. Xu, it ultimately leads to a fateful meeting with the King of Qi. And from this meeting and the results that followed we get the Chinese Saying 门庭若市 Mén Tíng Ruò Shì. Why was the King of Wei's palace courtyard compared to a crowded marketplace? Listen to the amusing story behind this chengyu and find out.

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