成语故事 - 对牛弹琴 Play tune to the cow

对牛弹琴(dui niu tan qin)
Play a tune to the cow

指说话人或作者没有考虑到听众或读者的水平。
When the one who speaks or writes has not considered his audience well and thus over-estimated their level of understanding.


从前，有个筝弹得非常好的著名音乐家叫做公明仪。有一天，他看到一头牛正在他家附近的田里吃草。突然之间他有了灵感，就跑出去为这头牛弹琴。公明仪弹的曲子非常优美，连他自己也陶醉在音乐之中，偏偏那头牛根本不理会那美妙的音乐，只顾着吃草。公明仪感到十分讶异，不明白为什么那头牛对他的演奏无动于衷。当然，我们都知道那头牛不理会他的原因并不是因为他的演奏很差，而是因为它根本听不懂也不会欣赏这种高深的曲调。


Once upon a time, there lived a musician named Gong Mingyi who was very good at playing the Zheng, an ancient string instrument. One day, he saw a cow eating grass in the field near his house. He was inspired by the scene and immediately ran out to play a tune for the cow. Gong Mingyi played so beautifully that he was even mesmerized by the music. However the cow paid no attention to the music at all, but simply focused on eating the grass. Gong Mingyi was shocked to see that happening and he wondered,"My music so bad meh?". Of course, we all know that the only reason that the cow had been indifferent to Gong Mingyi's musical performance was because it could neither understand nor appreciate such elegant music.

成语故事 - 歧路亡羊 Where there are too many forked roads, the sheep will be lost

歧路亡羊(qi lu wang yang)
Where there are too many forked roads, the sheep will be lost

形容当事情复杂多变，没有正确的方向的时候，人们很容易因为迷失或偏离正道而找不到真理。
When confronted with too many choices and complications, one who seeks the truth is likely to be lost if the correct method is not applied


学者杨子的邻居丢了一只羊，就叫了亲戚朋友又请了杨子的仆人一起去找羊。杨子问他：“只是丢了一只羊，为什么要找这么多人去追呢？”。邻居回答：“因为路上有很多岔路啊！”

过了一会儿，人们都回来了。“找到羊了吗？”，杨子问。大家回答：“没有，路上有岔路，岔路上又有岔路。我们不知该往哪儿找，只好回来了。”

杨子听了后沉默不语。他的学生不明白老师在想什么，便跑去问老师的朋友心都子。心都子说：“你们的老师在担心你们的学业呀！这件事让他想到你们的学习和研究上是会有很多困难的。如果你们找不到正确的学习方向和方法的话，最终将不会有任何成就，就像大家找不到这只跑丢了的羊一样。”


Scholar Yang Zi's neighbour lost a sheep and had asked all relatives and friends, and even Yang Zi's servant to help search for it. Yang Zi asked him,"Only one sheep lost wat, why you send so many people to look for it?". His neighbour replied,"Because there are a lot of fork roads out there loh!"

After some time, everybody came back. "So how? Found the sheep?", Yang Zi asked. "Don't have leh," they replied. "Every road also got branches and then every branches got more branches! Let that we also don't know which road to follow, so we give up lor."

Upon hearing this, Yang Zi stood silent. His student was puzzled what the teacher was thinking about so he looked for Yang Zi's friend Xin Du Zi to ask him. Of which Xin Du Zi replied,"Your teacher is worrying about your study. That sheep incident reminds him of the difficulties you will face in learning and doing research. Scali you fail to find the correct orientation and method of study, you will accomplish nothing, just like how those people have failed to find the lost sheep."

成语故事 - 兔死狗烹 With the rabbits dead, the hounds are cooked

兔死狗烹(tu si gou peng)
With the rabbits dead, the hounds are cooked

比喻事情办成功后，把有功劳的人杀掉
Trusted aides are eliminated when they have outlived their usefulness


范蠡和文仲是春秋时期越国的两个大官。越王勾践不听范蠡劝告，盲目进攻邻国吴国，结果被吴国打败，搞得他自己也被吴王抓去当苦力。范蠡跑去说服勾践要他忍受耻辱，假装服从，等待机会报仇。文仲也多次到吴国拜访，给勾践鼓励，帮助他恢复信心。几年后，吴王终于把勾践放回越国。在范蠡和文仲的相助下，越国很快就恢复了之前的强大，最后还把吴国给消灭了。

因为范蠡和文仲为越国作出了巨大的贡献，越王就很开心的赏给他们两个人很多的财宝，甚至还把国土的一半分给范蠡。但范蠡太了解勾践这个人了，所以他谢绝了这些赏赐，找了个地方隐居起来。他还写信给文仲告诉他：“当天上的鸟儿都被射完后，弓箭就没用处了。当所有的兔子被抓完后，猎狗也会被杀了煮来吃掉的。我劝你还是早点离开勾践，免得惹来杀身之祸。”文仲看完信后，接受了范蠡的劝告。他假装生病，不再参加朝中会议，可是已经太迟了。勾践听信了别人对他的谣言，把他逼得自杀了。


During the Spring and Autumn Period, Fan Li and Wen Zhong were senior officials serving the Yue king Gou Jian. Against Fan Li's objection, Gou Jian blindly launched an attack against the neighboring State of Wu. As a result, he suffered disastrous defeat and was even held prisoner by the Wu king and had to work as his slave. Fan Li persuaded Gou Jian to endure the temporary humiliation, pretend to surrender and wait for an opportunity to strike back. Wen Zhong too tried to encourage Gou Jian and helped him to stay positive when he went to the State of Wu on diplomatic missions. Years later, Gou Jian was eventually set free. With the help of Fan Li and Wen Zhong, the State of Yue rapidly rehabilitated and annexed the Wu.

Due to their great contribution, both Fan Li and Wen Zhong were richly awarded. Gou Jian even offered half of the state to Fan Li. However Fan Li rejected the King's offer and went to live in seclusion instead. He had known Gou Jian too well. Fan Li then wrote to his friend Wen Zhong, "After you shoot all the birds already, the bows and arrows no use liao. After all the rabbits have been caught, the hunting hounds sure kana killed and cooked one. Brother, you better leave the King, if not sure kana one!"

Wen Zhong took Fan Li's advice and faked MC to skip imperial court meetings, but it was already too late. Gou Jian had believed slanderous gossips about Wen Zhong and commanded Wen Zhong to kill himself.

成语故事 - 打草惊蛇 Beat the grass and the snake will be startled

打草惊蛇(da cao jing she)
Beat the grass and the snake will be startled

比喻因为在时机还未成熟的时候的动作而让敌人产生戒备
Premature actions which put the enemy on guard


从前，有个王鲁在今天中国东部的安徽作县令。这个人非常贪财，接受了很多贿赂。他手下有一个主簿（掌管文书事务的官员），也同样的贪赃，经常为王鲁的行为出谋划策。

一天，有人到王鲁那边去控告他的主簿。 这个主簿的罪行跟王鲁的所作所为几乎完全相同。王鲁吓得都不知道要怎么来处理这件案子了。结果他没有作出判决，反而是不由自主的在状子上写道："你在那边打草，可是连我这条伏在草下的蛇也受到惊吓了啦！"


Once upon a time, a county magistrate named Wang Lu worked in present day Anhui province, Eastern China. Wang Lu was a greedy magistrate who took many bribes. One of his secretaries was equally corrupt, and who even regularly assisted Wang Lu in his deeds.

One day, a man went to the magistrate to lodge a complaint against the secretary to accuse him of the same crimes as those that the magistrate himself had committed. Wang Lu was so shocked and frightened that he was not in the proper state of mind to handle the case. Instead of issuing a judgment, he could not help but wrote these words: "Wahlao! Do you know that by beating the grass, you are scaring the hell out of me this a snake under the grass?!"

成语故事 - 亡羊补牢 Sheeps dead but sheepfold shall be repaired

亡羊补牢(wang yang bu lao)
Sheeps dead but sheepfold shall be repaired

比喻事情出了差错，有了损失，如果及时补救，还能够弥补，吸取教训
If something went wrong, or even if losses were already done, if one were to amend the mistake in time, one could still save the day and learn from one's mistake


战国时期，楚襄王统治楚国时，国势不振。楚王和重要的大臣全部都是无能之辈，整天只是会吃喝玩乐。大臣庄辛觉得这个样子楚国很危险，就找楚王劝说“陛下，你身边都是一些只会奉承你的人，会吃不会做。他们只是会想尽办法让您高兴，让您忘了处理国事而已。这样子，国家迟早会灭亡的！”

楚王却很生气的说：“大胆！你居然用这样恶毒的话来诅咒我的国家，蓄意挑起人民的不满！”

庄辛就解释说：“我不敢诅咒楚国，但我可以预言楚国正面临着巨大的危险！信不信由你！”

庄辛见楚王这样子宠信那些腐败的大臣，相信楚国必定要亡国。于是他向楚王请求离开楚国，到赵国居住一下算了。楚王同意了，他便到赵国去了。五个月之后，秦君果然派军入侵楚国，占领了大片土地。楚王被迫流亡。这时，他想起了庄辛以前的劝谏，于是派人接庄辛回来。楚王见了庄辛，便问："现在要怎么办咧？"

庄辛回答说：“丢了羊，就把羊圈修好咯，迟到好过不到。”于是他提出了许多如何重振国家，收复失地的好谋略。楚王超高兴的！


During the Warring States Period (475-221 BC)， the State of Chu was not a very powerful state. But the king and his senior court officials were incompetent, indulging in luxury and excessive pleasure all the time. Zhuang Xin, one of the ministers can see that was the recipe for disaster for the country. So he told the king one day: "Your Majesty, those people around you, all cannot make it one! They only know how to kiss your ass and make you happy nia. Then see what happen now! You're not tending to the state affairs at all! If carry on like that har, the country sure perish one!"

The Chu King was damn furious. "How dare you! How can you use such vicious words to curse my country! And then the people hear already how? These words are words that arouse resentment!"

Zhuang Xin explained, "I won't dare to curse the State of Chu. But I really feel that our state is facing great danger lah!" But seeing that the king chose not to believe in him and still in favor of those corrupt officials and trust them in everything, Zhuang Xin gave up so he applied leave from the king to go to the State of Zhao to stay instead.

Five months later, Qin King sent his troops to invade Chu and occupied a large area of its territory. Chu King himself went into exile. Then, the king remembered Zhuang Xin's words so he sent his men to fetch him. When the king saw Zhuang Xin again, he asked him, "So what now?"

Zhuang Xin replied, "It's never too late lah. You see, if you find a sheep is missing, you should mend the sheepfold." He then gave some good suggestions on how to rehabilitate the state and recover lost land. And the king was very pleased.