Archive for chinese idiom

Play the lute to a cow: 对牛弹琴

Ever feel like you were talking to a brick wall?  Do I have a Chinese idiom for you!  It is “对牛弹琴”( Duì niú tán qín) .  Translated it literally means “play the lute to a cow”. Read More…

Speak of the Devil: the Chinese Version 说曹操,曹操到

Cao Cao depicted in the movie “Red Cliff”

I find idioms in Chinese to be fascinating, because invariably the have a very interesting story behind them.  Such is the case with 说曹操,曹操到, the Chinese version of “speak of the devil”. Read More…