Aug 29, 2008

無限追求 infinite pursuits ∞

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無 (nil) 限 (limit) 追 (chase) 求 (seek) Jean-Luc Ponty, in his Infinite Pursuit , loops instrumental sequences resembling hypnotic Wii muzak. *...
1 comment:
Aug 28, 2008

春蛙秋蟬 media chatter

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春 (spring) 蛙 (frog) 秋 (autumn) 蟬 (cicada) An anagram of Obama-Biden happens to be "nabob media". There's a Vice President we t...
Aug 26, 2008

東問西答 non sequitur

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東 (east) 問 (ask) 西 (west) 答 (answer) or 問東答西, 問 (ask) 東 (east) 答 (answer) 西 (west) "...that after eight weeks of induction into the ele...
Aug 25, 2008

山戰水戰 through hell and high water

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山 (mountain) 戰 (war) 水 (water) 戰 (war) So, you've been through it all. And you've come out on top. “It is not the mountain we conque...
Aug 21, 2008

韜光養晦 humility

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韜 (sheath) 光 (light) 養 (nurture) 晦 (dark) This is a concept prized in the East. Sometimes you wonder if the West, especially America, has...
4 comments:
Aug 11, 2008

背水之陣 fight with back against the wall (of water)

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背 (back) 水 (water) 之 ('s) 陣 (troop formation) Where are the Russian-Georgian battlefronts? Two prominent natural features catch one'...
1 comment:
Aug 10, 2008

和而不同 be harmonious yet true to oneself

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和 (harmony) 而 (and) 不 (not) 同 (sameness) The character 和 was proudly displayed during the impressive opening ceremony of the Beijing Olym...
Aug 8, 2008

七*转八起 get up and try for the 8th time

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*In honor of the Beijing Olympics, I am including a single simplified character, 转 , although I am a traditionalist (when it comes to charac...
Aug 7, 2008

誇大妄想 delusions of grandeur

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誇 (boast) 大 (big) 妄 (senseless) 想 (thought) In Anthrax Scientist’s E-Mail, Hints of Delusions New York Times, August 6, 2008 "These e-...
Aug 6, 2008

凸鼻凹目 well-defined features

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凸 (protruding) 鼻 (nose) 凹 (deep-set) 目 (eyes) Literal enough? 凹凸 uneven, as in "the road is uneven". " 道路凹凸不平 ". 凹鏡 ...
Aug 5, 2008

錦上添花 icing on the cake

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錦 (silk) 上 (atop) 添 (add) 花 (flower) Definition of perfection never seems perfect. "one that possesses that of which, by its nature, it...
Aug 4, 2008

亢龍有悔 tough stay at the top

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亢 (lofty) 龍 (dragon) 有 (have) 悔 (regret) What's next once you become an emperor? An emperor is symbolized by a dragon. You know, the cr...
Jul 24, 2008

乳母日傘 pampered upbringing

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乳 (milk) 母 (mother) 日 (sun) 傘 (umbrella) What else does the little one need? A nanny. 乳母 A parasol. 日傘 *** I woke before the morning, I was...
Jul 22, 2008

群雞一鶴 one stands above the rest

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群 (crowd) 雞 (chicken) 一 (one) 鶴 (crane) Also, 群鷄一鶴 with 鷄 (chicken) A lone swan among waddling ducks is a touchingly incongruous sight. Sh...

鏡花水月 the unattainable

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鏡 (mirror) 花 (flower) 水 (water) 月 (moon) Flower in the mirror Moon in the water You can see it No, you can't have it photo by George ...