Instead of attacking headlong a powerful, concentrated enemy, break it up into smaller, vulnerable groups. Instead of striking first, bide your time and strike only after the enemy has struck. This strategy advises one to relieve the besieged by besieging the base of the besiegers. When the enemy deploys its main force to attack a […]
Lure the enemy with counterfeits. Punish the callow youth. The expression comes from a story about two poets in the Tang Dynasty. Once, a celebrated poet named Zhao Xia was about to visit Suzhou, the city of gardens in south China. When the poet Chang Jian heard about this, he knew that Zhao was sure […]
If you have seen the Chinese classical work “Journey to the West”, you may notice every time when the Monkey King comes to a new place, he will knock the ground with his Jinggu-bang (golden-cudgel, its weapon) to ask the local Earth God about the situation of the place. Such a local Earth God is […]
In China, around the Song Dynasty, tea was used as the engagement gift, for the reason that “All tea plants have seeds and the plant will die if moved”, which symbolizes the loyalty and fertility of the couple. A man’s giving betrothal gifts to his fiancée is called “to give tea” or “to pass tea”, […]
Colorful painting is one of the most original designs in Chinese building. It is originally for protecting wood structure against dump and corrosion and insect-eating, afterwards the press of it is just the adornment. After Song Dynasty, the colorful paintings have become the indispensable adornment of palace. It is divided into 3 grades. The highest […]
yù bàng xiāng zhēng，yú wēng dé lì 鹬蚌相争, 渔翁得利 This is a very popular Chinese fable. A clam swam to the bank and opened its shell in the sun. a snipe flew over and saw it. It dived to the ground and pecked at it. Before the snipe drew back its beak, it was gripped […]
There is a saying in Chinese, “The magistrates are free to set fire, while the common people are forbidden even to light lantern”. Here is a story. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279A.D.), a mahistrate named Tian Deng made it a taboo to say the word “deng” or its homonyms to show his dignity. At the […]
The Spring Festival Picture is a special type of painting in China. It is used during the Spring Festival. It is originated in the Pre-Qin Period (before 221 B.C.). People paste the images of various gods on both sides of the door, expecting them to ward off the evils and usher in good luck. In […]
The phrase “finding a new trail” is often used to mean independently developing a new style or method. There are many Chinese sayings that refer to “tunnel vision”, such as “Don’t stick to only one path until you walk into complete darkness,” “a single-track mind” and “one who refuses to turn back until running into […]
Initially made in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), “Tang Sancai” (tri-colored glazed pottery of the Tang Dynasty) is well-known for its gorgeous glaze and exquisite shape. “Tang Sancai” was mainly used as articles buried with the dead in the graves. They are based on brown, yellow and blue, with white, reddish brown, light yellow, jade […]