This Chinese proverb refers to the act of profiting from somebody elses misfortune.

This Chinese proverb is one that is important for society and for one's self. To lead by example and to set yourself as a standard for other people to follow. In other words, by setting your good behavious and polite manners as an example. Other people around you will respect you with the same kindness and politeness.

It is important for us to act in a way that we are happy for everyone else around us to act.

以身作则
yǐ shēn zuò zé
To set a good example / Set yourself as the standard

This Chinese proverb means to do something wholeheartedly. With all of your heart and belief behind something you will apply your mind much more succesfully. Most often this proverb is used to say "with all my heart" regarding missing or loving someone.

This is another Guest Post just in time for #MandarinMonday It is written by my friend Greg over at Mandarin Segments and is his personal experiences of learning Mandarin. Greg has been learning for about 2 years, although has made amazing progress in the last two months. Here is Greg's learning process.

Disclosures

Before describing my journey in learning Chinese, I need to be open with you:

When I began learning Mandarin: I did not have any Chinese relatives (I still don't), I do not have a Chinese wife, and I do not work for a Chinese company. I don't live in China, and I was not planning to move there. I do not have any ancient secret documents written in Chinese that I need to translate, I am not practising t'ai chi, and I am not studying acupuncture.

Nope, there was no obvious reason for me to learn Chinese whatsoever. And yet, there I was, subscribing to the "Teach Yourself Mandarin" series on iTunes - and really excited.

Pressing The Button

Just 6 months earlier I had been in Taiwan on business, and I learned to read my first Chinese word: exit = 出口. (You can read the story here.) And so my entry was 'exit' - then Mandarin started to creep into my thoughts.

I also learned a dozen basic phases (Hello, How are you, I am fine, Two beers please, Just a little, Don't want, ...) Chinese people are so complimentary when they find out a Westerner is learning their language. You don't need much more than "ni hao" or "zai jian" - to get lots of bubbling outbursts like "Wow - your Chinese is amazing!" and "You are so clever!"

And for 6 months, with just a dozen tone-less phrases, it felt like I was fluent. Until I realised that I wasn't ... but that I really wanted to be.

So I pressed that magic 'subscribe' button in iTunes.

The Laziest Path

By that stage in my life I had no spare time, and absolutely no desire to study any more. A couple of degrees and a professional qualification lay in the past, and 10-12 hour work days and a half-dozen international business trips a year lay in the present. I knew that anything extra that I took on would quickly get discarded - I definitely needed a better plan.

So I did nothing. Well, almost nothing. On the way to & from work - totalling 20-30 minutes a day - I listened to my Mandarin podcast. Most of the time I was thinking about something else, but those beginner podcasts played over & over in the background. Until one morning, after a month, I woke up from a dream repeating "Huan ying nin lai Beijing" to myself. That phrase must have played in my ears a dozen times by then, and even though I'd never really concentrated on it, here I was, saying it in my sleep, knowing exactly what it meant.

So I took a significant step forwards - I actually started to listen to the podcasts, rather than just playing them. I also subscribed to ChinesePod, and my conversational Mandarin continued to develop.

But I stuck to my original promise - I was not going to study Chinese, and I was definitely not going to waste time learning to read Chinese! I would plug into my podcasts, but it would not be like school. I was not going to memorise lists of vocabulary, and this was not going to feel like a big effort. (And yet, I was enjoying myself so much at the time that - looking back now - it was a disproportionate amount of time that I was spending with my Chinese-English dictionary!)

Steroids

Then in May this year, I changed gears again after spending a month in Asia on business (China, HK, Taiwan and Singapore).

When I took off from Heathrow Airport I was pleased with how much Chinese I could speak. When I landed here again a month later, I was frustrated and determined to up my game. There was going to be more effort, more podcasts, memorising lists, using flashcards - and learning to read. Although I was at a conversational level, I realised in trying to speak with people that I simply didn't have a wide enough vocab. I could speak & be understood, but they used so many words when speaking to me, I just couldn't keep up.)

So in the last 4 months, I have been listening to more podcasts, memorising lists, using flashcards - and learning to read. It has been fantastic.

Sometimes I wish I had been this fired up 3 years ago - I'd have a much better command of Mandarin by now. And yet, somehow, that's OK. If I had pushed too hard at the beginning I might have scared myself off. But that feels irrelevant ... this is where I am now. I've learned over 1000 Chinese characters in my reading experiment, and I am progressing all the time in my spoken Mandarin.

Discovering Mandarin

One of the things I did at the start of my 4 months of passionate learning was to start my blog, Mandarin Segments. And through blogging I discovered a world of people who are also learning Chinese, who have also experienced the same challenges as I have - and who are willing to provide input, and to debate in a way that keeps my moving forwards. Blogs are a great resource, and an excellent sounding board. Make sure you subscribe to a few with a Mandarin focus.

But perhaps I am preaching to the converted - after all, you're reading this on a blog, Charlie's excellent Discovering Mandarin blog.

A county magistrate named Wang Lu was very greedy and took many bribes. One of his secretaries was equally corrupt, and often schemed for Wang Lu's deeds. One day a man lodged a complaint against the secretary to Wang Lu. The secretary's crimes were almost the same as the crimes the magistrate himself committed. Wang Lu was so frightened that he forgot his proper role in handling the case. Instead of issuing a judgment, he couldn't help writing these words concerning the complaint: "By stirring the grass, you have startled me who am like a snake under the grass!"

This Chinese proverb represents the process of bullying others because of your position or contacts. The proverb also can also be used when taking advantage of one's connections with powerful people.

This Chinese proverb is used to describe someone that aggravates a situation, or someone that enrages people and make matters worse. Often this proverb will be used in English as 'adding fuel to the fire'. It is literally the act or intention of intensifying and making something worse.

This Chinese proverb is used in situations where you cannot explain someone's behaviour or times when anything else is tough to work out. It is very similiar in use to the English proverb "Unable to make head or tail of it". This proverbs translation, therefore could be much more simple in its ability to describe something that you are unable to explain. Such as 'inexplicable' or an 'unfathomable mystery'. I personally like the full translation though.

The Great Wall of China is currently a symbol of Chinese National pride and has become iconic around the world. Somewhat ironically though, the one monument that China built to keep foreigners out is actually now the biggest tourist attraction in the country.


The following statements about the Great Wall of China are all true and are then explained below. Please understand, I love the Great Wall, and it is an incredible testament to the people who built it. However, there are some very common misconceptions about the wall that I wanted to address.

1. The Great Wall of China Is Not A Single Entity

The Great Wall of China should be considered much less one great wall; instead as many lesser walls, built over many dynasties, shifting and merging. Pretty much what is left of the ‘great wall’ and made iconic today is the section built north of Beijing during the Ming Dynasty (1368 -1644). Very little, of the first walls joined together by Qin Shihuangdi, which were mainly mounds and small walls, remain today.

The Great Wall of Qi (齐长城 Qí Chángchéng), is the oldest existing Great Wall in China. Construction of the wall started in 685 by the state of Qi, to defend against an invasion by the Kingdom of Chu. It stretches from the area under the administration of the modern city of Jinan to that of the city of Qingdao. Its total length has been estimated at about 600 kilometres.

2. The Great Wall of China Is Not Great

The Great Wall of China, was never called great by the Chinese. The Chinese name for the ‘great wall’ is 长城 (Chángchéng) which literally means ‘Long Wall’, it is also sometimes referred to as 万里长城 (Wànlǐ Chángchéng) literally ‘Long Wall of 10,000 Li’. Though the walls are quite inspiring, they were never called ‘great’ in Chinese and only by foreign mistranslation with romantic overtones.

The Long Wall was initially formalised by Qin Shihuangdi (221-210BC) as a unification measure. This wall was mainly made out of beaten earth, and brushwood. The later (Ming Dynasty) stone ‘Great Wall’ did not really prevent invaders either, both Genghis Khan (Chengis Khan) and the Manchu’s both invaded despite stone walls. Either the walls could be avoided, by travelling until a weak point. On the other hand, with much less effort, the officials guarding the wall could be bribed. As Genghis Khan put it, “The strength of the wall depends on the courage of those who guard it”.

Maybe appearance counts for more than The Great Wall's performance.

3. The Great Wall of China Can Not Be Seen From The Moon


Probably the least surprising of the myths I am breaking here, The Great Wall cannot be seen from the moon, by the naked eye, or indeed with a camera. It is a rumour that has been spread around since 1750 by William Sturkley long before space expeditions were even conceived of, but has since spread to textbooks and trivial pursuit.

Stukeley wrote that, "This mighty wall of four score miles in length (Hadrian's Wall) is only exceeded by the Chinese Wall, which makes a considerable figure upon the terrestrial globe, and may be discerned at the moon."

Apparently, the width of the Great Wall, viewed from the moon is about the same as that of a human hair viewed from 2 miles away. In other words, to see the wall from the moon would require superhuman eyesight: (with spatial resolution 17,000 times better than normal 20/20 vision)

4. The Great Wall of China Is Not The Only Manmade Structure Visible from Space


Similiarly to the myth above The Great Wall is not the only manmade structure visible from space, and in fact is not THE most visible from space.

In 2003, a Chinese-American astronaut Leroy Chiao, took a photograph from the International Space Station that shows the great wall. However, it was so indistinct that the photographer was not certain he had actually captured it. Cameras also have a much greater resolution than human vision rendering photographic evidence completely irrelevant to the issue of whether it is visible to the naked eye.

It is thought from a low orbit (100miles above Earth) that it is possible to just about make out the Great wall. However, it is less visible than many other manmade structures including the pyramids, airports, harbours etc. This also destroys the myth it is the ‘only’ manmade structure visible from space.

5. The Great Wall Of China Did Not Mark Boundaries Between China & Mongolia


Indeed, there is a great debate about when China first existed, and you can see in the map here that the boundaries moved often throughout these periods of instability. The word "China" was first used in 1555. It is derived from Cin, a Persian name for China, popularized in Europe by Marco Polo.

The wall morphed and changed shape through the dynasties, and is thought to have been built as a defensive structure to keep out the threat from the North. The mounds and wooden fortifications that would have been there initially certainly were defensive but not the boundary between ‘China’ and ‘Mongolia’ both of which did not yet exist. The problem with the Western perception of countries is that there were much more rigid boundaries in Europe at this time.

The people of Mongolia during this time were very much nomadic and this causes problems when bringing up the idea of countries and boundaries let alone marking them with incomplete walls. So the walls themselves cannot have been (at least intially) defensive boundries between China and Mongolia.

6. David Copperfield Did Not Walk Through The Great Wall Of China

He is an illusionist and is good at what he does, but no, he never walked through the great wall. All you see is him disappearing then his body double re-appearing. Clever, yes. but breaking through the Great wall, no. Once again, despite what is said in the commentary, Great Wall being the only visible manmade structure from space. No.



7. The Great Wall Of China Is Not One Of The Seven Wonders Of The World


Well actually it is, but not one of the first seven wonders of the world heralded by the ancient Greeks. However the Great Wall is typically included in the Seven Wonders of the Medieval World.

8. The Great Wall Is Made From The Bones Of Those That Built It

It is common to hear that the mortar used to bind the stones was made from human bones or that men are buried within the Great Wall to make it stronger. However, the mortar was actually made from rice flour; no bones, human or otherwise, have ever been found in any of the Great Wall's walls. It is thought that many thousands of people died in the walls’ construction. It has been known to some as the longest graveyard in the world.

9. It Is Only Possible To See The Great Wall in Beijing

Some people are mistaken and think that you can see the Great Wall anywhere in China. Although this is untrue, the most common tourist sites are just outside of Beijing to the North. There are four main tourist areas of the iconic Ming Dynasty Wall. Badaling section, Mutianyu section, Simatai section and Shixiaguan section (All of which are near to Beijing).

There are many other places to catch a glimpse of the wall though. I won’t pretend to know them but I would suggest if you are interested in visiting and do not want to get ripped off or find yourself crowded amongst tourists. I recommend visiting this forum which has an awful lot of information about where you can see the wall in its various states.



For more information and history about the Great Wall of China, I recommend http://www.greatwall-of-china.com/
and
http://www.greatwallforum.com/forum

This Chinese proverb is very similiar to the the English proverb, "to make your bed and lie on it". The proverb talks about taking responsibility for your actions, making sure that when you create a bad situation that you stand up and take the consequences.

自作自受。
zìzuòzìshòu.
As the tree falls, so shall it lie.

Photo Sourced From:
Flickr

This Chinese proverb is an important idiom, that is used worldwide. Generally meaning that you are listening attentively, it can also be used whe you are eager to listen to what someone has to say. This proverb can also be used as a polite request to speak.

The English variation below is certainly used when you are eager to hear something more than this Chinese version which is more about the respect of listening to what others say than wanting to hear something.

琵琶 (pípá) Pipa is a Chinese folk instrument, often called the Chinese lute.
The pipa has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets (between 12–26). Although it may be colloquially known as a lute because it looks a bit like one, in fact, the instrument does not have an actual neck. Instead, the soundboard body spans the entire strings to the head of the instrument.



Nearly two thousand years old, the pipa is one of the most popular Chinese folk instruments. The pipa appeared in the Qin Dynasty and developed by the Han Dynasty. There is even statues in the terracotta army of pipa players.



The name "pípá" is made up of two Chinese syllables, "pí" (琵) and "pá" (琶). These are the two most common ways of playing this instrument. "Pí" is to push the fingers of the right hand from right to left, thus more than one finger can be used at a time striking multiple notes, and "pá" is to pull the thumb of the right hand from left to right, in the opposite direction.



Originally played using a large plectrum in the Tang Dynasty, the pipa gradually began to be played with the fingernails of the right hand. The softer twisted silk strings of earlier times have been exchanged for nylon-wound steel strings, which are far too strong for human fingernails, so false nails are now used, constructed of plastic or tortoise-shell, and affixed to the fingertips with elastic tape.

One of the most notable pipa players of modern times is Liu Feng (刘芳), a virtuoso musician, the video below gives you an idea of quite how varied and exciting this instrument is. Tuneful and rhythmical it is more versatile in playing style than western lutes would have been played.

The first video is a famous pipa piece called 十面埋伏 (Shí Mìan Maí Fú) "Ambushed from Ten Sides"



天山之春 (Tiānshān zhī chūn) "The Spring on the Tianshan Mountain" again performed by Liu Feng, and accompaniment on some traditional Chinese drums.



This is a famous poem from the Tang Dynasty about the Pipa. Bai Juyi's "Pipa Xing" (Pipa Play) describes a chance encounter with a female pipa player on the Yangtze River:

大絃嘈嘈如急雨 : The bold strings rattled like splatters of sudden rain,
小絃切切如私語 : The fine strings hummed like lovers' whispers.
嘈嘈切切錯雜彈 : Chattering and pattering, pattering and chattering,
大珠小珠落玉盤 : As pearls, large and small, on a jade plate fall.

In contempary rock music, Incubus have featured the pipa in their 2001 song "Aqueous Transmission,".

I have used the proverb that the people over at ChinaPrime tweeted yesterday, as my daily Chinese proverb, today. I will freely admit not knowing its true meaning and where it would be used, but really made me smile when I read it for the first time.

I am thinking it is probably used to describe temptations and how we might not be able to resist them, but we can prevent them taking over our lives.

This proverb relates to following local customs when away from home. It is something I believe strongly in; that when travelling you should really try out the things that the locals do. Try their food, drinks, nights out and language.

走乡随乡
zǒu​xiāng​suí​xiāng​
To follow local customs

The popular English variation of this Chinese proverb is: 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.'

This Chinese proverb comes from a tale in the Tang Dynasty. It is all about 'A gift of Sincere Wishes'. A man called Mian Bogao offering the emporer some goose feathers as a gift. The full story is below to give an explaination of why this proverb has such a strong meaning in Chinese culture. you may also be interested in the Chinese practise of giving gifts.

Chinese farmer, Gao Xianzhang from the village of Hexia, in Hebia, northern China, has created baby buddha shaped pears. Gao spent six years perfecting the intricate baby shaped pears, carefully crafting each one which grows inside an individual, baby buddha shaped plastic mould.


It is reported that Gao has made 10,000 of the baby buddha pears that he hopes to sell in the UK and EU. In China they are selling very well indeed and have certainly not been affected by the recession.

The pears are snapped up as soon as they are off the tree and Gao says that they are considered lucky and cute. Lucky things in China have a massive marketing boost and catch on very quickly.


This is a bit behind the times... The Daily Mail reported this about two weeks ago, I meant to write about it then, but ran out of time, many apologies

Giving gifts is an important part of Chinese tradition. This custom ranges from a house-warming gift to rites of passage, important events and festivals. Giving and receiving gifts plays a big part in maintaining guanxi, or good relations, and this principle applies to personal as well as business relationships.

The Chinese believe that a gift is in the thought, rather than the expense or extravagance of a gift. This way of thinking came about because the receiver will feel a big debt of gratitude if a gift is too much. There is almost a game to play when it comes to gift giving. If you are the giver, it is important that you present the gift with both hands and to downplay the value of what you are giving. If you are receiving the gift, you should act as if you think you do not deserve a present and politely refuse a few times, before accepting the gift. Remember that to refuse a gift is the height of rudeness because it shows that you are overlooking the gift-giver's sincere gesture. However to take the gift immediately is a sign of a person’s greed.

This also serves as a second lesson; never take a Chinese person's 'No, thank you' literally, if they still refuse after twice, it may be worth asking a third time. Good manners and respect for one another characterizes the Chinese practice of giving and receiving presents. The rules of the game also say that presents are not to be opened right away. This is to show that it is not the present, but the gesture that matters. This also helps avoid awkward situations in case the gift does not really please the receiver.

For me this proverb comes to mean, that friendship relies on the fact you tell the truth. Even, when it is painful to hear. And an argument that is based on honesty can often bloom into a true friendship.

从一个打击，交流，友谊的增长
cóng yī ge dǎjī, jiāoliú, yǒuyìde zēngzhǎng
From an exchange of blows, friendship grows

Tao Xiangli is a Chinese inventor who has created a working submarine from scrap metal. Despite rarely using rulers or measurements and just using his 'feeling' it seems that after tests it works fine. It took him over two years to build and the submarine is driven by electric motors and propellers. It also has some extra fixings including a periscope and a depth control tank.



The entire submarine cost Xiangli $4,366, or about one year's pay. Its maximum cruising depth is an impressive 10 meters (that is more than two double decker buses). Tao Xiangli has been allowed to test his contraption by local officals, unlike this homemade helicopter I talked about last month.





There is a video hosted by Guardian here, but is disabled to embed, so sorry about that. Still overall what impressive stuff from yet another Chinese DIY'er.

This Chinese proverb comes from Mencius, essentially it means; Don't gloat over other peoples mistakes whilst you are making the same ones in a different fashion. Though it is never good to laugh at other peoples mistakes, it is more important not to laugh when you have made the same mistake but not as seriously.