Mar 23, 2009

千篇一律 cookie-cutter

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千 (thousand) 篇 (article) 一 (one) 律 (rule) Aren't you?
Feb 4, 2009

陰德陽報 let not thy left hand know; blessings to follow

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陰 (shade) 德 (virtue) 陽 (sunlight) 報 (repay) Hannah Arendt dreamed of it (see the letter transcribed below) and so did Truman Capote, Robert ...
Jan 14, 2009

怒蠅拔劍 angry at nothing

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怒 (anger) 蠅 (fly) 拔 (draw) 劍 (sword) You draw a sword upon the sight of a fly. Mighty anger caused by... a trifle. A fly, no less. Feel s h...

兎死狐悲 mourning for fellow creatures

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兎 (rabbit) 死 (die) 狐 (fox) 悲 (sad) The bunny dies, so the fox is sad. H e's forgotten all a bout their differences. The loss of a fellow...
Jan 12, 2009

今始初聞 it's news to me

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今 (now) 始 (start) 初 (first) 聞 (hear) News is losing its novelty. Do you still exclaim, "Wow, that's news to me"? "News...
Jan 11, 2009

五里霧中 lost in a fog

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五 (five) 里 (1/3 mile) 霧 (fog) 中 (middle) You can't see two miles ahead of you. When there are too many uncertainties involved, it would ...
Jan 6, 2009

環肥燕瘦 fat, skinny, beautiful regardless

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環 (ring) 肥 (fat) 燕 (swallow) 瘦 (slender) Beauty, according to 環肥燕瘦 , comes in all sizes. Whether you look like a butterball or a chopstick,...
Jan 1, 2009

送舊迎新 adieu, old year; ring in the new year

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送 (send) 舊 (old) 迎 (greet) 新 (new) Happy New Year. 新年快樂. (simplified, 新年快乐) 新 (new) 年 (year) 快 (quick) 樂 (cheer) Also, 謹賀新年 謹 (prudent) 賀 (...