Chinese proverbs can be a fascinating source of cultural insight.
They are short and clever sayings that contain life-advice and reflect shared values and attitudes.
And if you’re learning the language, proverbs can be a fun way to pick up new vocabulary.
In this video we cover 13 common proverbs that can be used in both spoken and written Mandarin. 悬梁刺骨 xuán liáng cì gǔ
This is used to describe somebody who persistently works or studies very hard.
悬 xuán: to hang
梁 liáng: house beam
刺 cì: sting / thrust
骨 gǔ: bone
This expression originates from two ancient Chinese stories:
STORY ❶
Durning the Western Han Dynasty there was a statesman named Sun Jing who studied very hard. He often studied from morning till evening. Since he studied for so long, it was easy to doze off. To not impede his study, he used a rope to tie his hair to the house beam so that if he fell asleep it would pull on his hair and he would immediately wake up.
STORY ❷
During the Warring States period there was another statesman called Su Qin. He often studied until very late, and in order not to fall asleep he would poke himself in the leg with an awl.
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