Chinese Idiom: 打草惊蛇（dǎ cǎo jīng shé）
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，有人到王鲁这儿控告他的主簿。 这个主簿的罪行，跟王鲁的所作所为几乎完全相同。王鲁吓得都不知道如何来处理这件案子。他没有作出判决，而是不由自主的在状子上写道：“你虽然打的是草，但我这种像伏在草下的蛇，也受到惊吓了！”
由此产生了“打草惊蛇”这个成语。原先的意思是指对某人的惩罚成了对其他人的警告。但现在人们用它指使敌人产生戒备的不成熟的行为。
Long long ago, a county magistrate named Wang Lu worked in present day Anhui province, East China. 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 went to the magistrate to lodge a complaint against the secretary. The secretary’s crimes were almost the same as the crimes the magistrate himself committed. Wang Lu was so frightened, 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 beating the grass, you have startled me who am like a snake under the grass!”
The above story provided the idiom “Beat the grass and startle the snake”. The original meaning is that punishment for someone can serve as a warning to others. But people now use the idiom to indicate that premature actions which put the enemy on guard.
注释：
贿赂 bribe
罪行 crime
判决 punishment
惊吓 startle
惩罚 punishment
不由自主 can’t not help doing
Chinese idiom: 刮目相看(guā mù xiāng kàn)
三国时期（220－280），吴国有一个叫吕蒙的将军。吕蒙出生在穷苦人家，小时候没有机会上学。长大后他参了军，看书的时间更少了。一次，吴国的皇帝召见吕蒙，对他说：“现在你是大将军了，应该多看看书开阔眼界。”吕蒙回答道：“军中的事务这么忙，我恐怕没有时间读书。”吴国的皇帝说：“你难道比我还忙吗？我常常抽空阅读兵书，从中得到了不少好处。多看看前人的经验之谈，你会有更大的进步。”吕蒙接受了皇帝的建议，从此开始专心阅读，看了很多历史和军事书籍。一天，主帅鲁肃来拜访吕蒙，惊讶地发现吕蒙变得很有学问。曾经非常轻视吕蒙的鲁肃说：“我以为你只会打仗，没想到你这么博学。你已经不是过去的那个吕蒙了！”吕蒙回答道：“即使你和别人只分开了三天，三天后再遇到他时也不能用三天前的老眼光来看待他。”
我们从吕蒙的话中的到了成语刮目相看，也叫刮目相待，用它来形容别人有了很大的进步，要用新的眼光来看待。
Look at someone with a new eye-Treat someone with increased respect
Lv Meng was a general of Wu during the Three Kingdoms Period (220-180). He was born in such a poor family that he did not get any chance to go to the school when he was a child. However, there was still less time for reading when he served in the army after he grew up.Once the king of Wu summoned Lv Meng and said to him, “Since you are now a general in power, you had better read some books to widen your horizon.”Lv Meng answered, “I am so busy with military affairs that I am afraid I have little time to read.”The King said, “Are you busier than I am? Even I often find time to read books on the art of war and gain much benefit from them. To read more about the experience left by our ancestors will make you progress.” Lv Meng then did according what the king said. He concentrated himself on reading history and military writings. On day, Military Governor Lu Su visited Lv Meng and was surprised to find that Lv Meng had become very knowledgeable. Lu Su, who held Lv Meng in contempt earlier, said, “I did not expect that you would know so much besides fighting! You are not the one you used to be!”Lv Meng replied, “You should look at a person with a new eye even only after a three days’ separation.”
The idiom is from Lv Meng’s remarks. We use it when we are astonished by others’ fabulous progress or improvement, and we should have increased respect for him or her.
Notes:
刮目 wipe eyes
穷苦的 poor
召见 summon
惊讶地 surprisedly
博学 erudite
开阔眼界 broaden one’s mind
经验之谈 words or writings about one’s experience
Chinese idiom: 自相矛盾(zì xiāng máo dùn)
很久很久以前，楚国有一个商人，一天他到市场上去卖自己制造的矛和盾。 他大声的叫卖，有很多人围过来看，他举起盾说：“我的盾是世界上最坚固的，无论怎样锋利的东西也不能刺穿它!” 接着，他又拿起一支矛，得意地说：“我的矛是世界上最锋利的，无论怎样坚固的东西也能刺穿!”这时一位围观的人上前拿起他的一支矛和一面盾问道：“如果用这支矛去刺这面盾，结果会怎样呢?” 这个人一下子回答不出来，最后只好灰溜溜地扛着矛和盾走了。
Once upon a time, there was a businessman in Chu Kingdom. One day, he sold his spear and shield in the market. He told people, “My spear is the sharpest spear in the world. It can pierce everything. And my shield is the solidest in the world. Nothing can destroy it.” Then somebody asked him, “If we use your spear to pierce your shield, what will happen?” The businessman didn’t know how to reply.
词语注释:
楚国：(chǔ guó) n. Chu state; 中国的春秋战国时代（公元前770-公元前256）的一个诸侯国。
商人：(shāng rén) n. businessman; merchant; dealer.
矛：(máo) n. lancer; 古代兵器，长柄，装有金属枪头，用以刺杀敌人。
盾：(dùn) n. shield; 古代兵器，用来保护自己、抵档敌人刺杀。
坚固：(jiān gù) adj. firm; solid; cast-iron.
锋利：(fēng lì) adj. sharp; knife-edged.
刺穿：(cì chuān) v. cut through; impale; pierce; transpierce.
得意：(dé yì) adj. complacent.
围观：(wéi guān) v. look surround
扛：(káng) v. lift with hands
意义:
自相矛盾：Be self-contradictory
比喻语言、行动前后不一致或互相抵触。
例句:
你说手机没电了，却刚给他打了电话，这不是自相矛盾吗？
You said his cell phone ran off power but you called him just now. Isn’t it contradictory?
你刚才的话前后自相矛盾，别人不知道该怎么理解。
What you said is self-contradictory. People don’t know how to understand it.
Chinese Idiom: 对牛弹琴(duì niú tán qín)
从前，有个著名的音乐家公明仪。他的筝弹得非常好，但有时会作些傻事。
有天，他看到一头牛在他家附近的田里吃草。他一下子有了灵感，就跑出去为这头牛弹琴。公明仪弹的曲子非常优美，他自己也陶醉在音乐之中。可是那头牛根本不理会那美妙的音乐，只顾着吃草。公明仪感到十分奇怪，不明白为什么牛对他的演奏无动于衷。很明显，牛不理会他并不是因为他的演奏很糟糕。而是因为牛听不懂也欣赏不了这种高深的曲调。
“对牛弹琴”这个成语就是从上述故事演化而来的，指那些说话或写东西不考虑到听众的人。 一般来说，是说话人或作者高估了听众或读者，所以，这则成语嘲讽的主要是听众或观众，而不是说话者。
In ancient time, there lived a musician named Gong Mingyi. He was very good at playing the Zheng, a plucked string instrument. But he also behaved foolishly sometimes.
One day, he saw a cow eating grass in the field near his house. He was inspired by the scene and ran outside to play a tune for the cow. Gong Mingyi played beautifully and he himself was intoxicated by the music. But the cow paid no heed to the elegant sounds. It simply focused its attention on eating the grass. Gong Mingyi was surprised to see that. He couldn’t understand why the cow was so indifferent to his performance. Obviously, it is not because his performance is poor. But the cow neither understood nor appreciated his elegant music!
From that story comes the idiom “Play the lute to a cow”, which implies that someone speaks or writes without considering his audience. In general speaking, the speaker or writer has over-estimated his listeners or readers. In these cases, the idiom mocks the audience rather than the speaker
Notes:
音乐家 musician
陶醉 intoxicate
演奏 performance
糟糕 poor
欣赏 appreciate
嘲讽 mock
Chinese idiom:画蛇添足(huà shé tiān zú)
画蛇添足
楚国有一个官员，在春天祭过了祖宗之后，便将一壶酒赏给他的办事人员喝。有人提议：“我们只有一壶酒，肯定不够我们大家喝的，一个人喝倒是绰绰有余。我们每人在地上画一条蛇，谁画得最快，就把这壶酒给他。”
大家都同意了。有一个人很快就把蛇画好了。他正打算喝这壶酒时，看见别人都还忙着画呢。他就得意扬扬地说：“你们画得好慢呀，等我再画上几只脚吧！” 他的蛇脚还没画完，另一个人已经把蛇画好了。那人把酒壶夺了过去说：“有谁见过长脚的蛇？你画的不是蛇，这壶酒应该是我的了。”说罢，就喝起酒来。那个给蛇画脚的人没办法，只能懊悔自己的愚蠢。
“画蛇添足”这个成语就是从这个故事来的。现在人们用它来说明这么个道理：做的过分和做的不够是一样有害的。
Draw a snake and add feet to it
An official of the ancient State of Chu awarded a pot of wine to his men after the ceremony of Spring Sacrifice. One man said, “We have only one pot of wine. It’s not enough for all of us but sufficient for one. Let’s determine who’ll have the wine by drawing a snake on the ground. He who finishes first will have the wine.”
The others agreed. Very soon, one man finished his snake. He was about to drink the wine when he saw the others were still busy drawing. He said complacently ,”How slowly you are !I still have enough time to add feet to my snake.” But before he finished the feet, another man finished his snake and grabbed the pot from him, saying, “Whoever has seen a snake with feet? Yours is not a snake. So the wine should be mine!” He drank the wine. The man adding feet to the snake had to give in and could only regret his foolishness.
From that story comes the idiom “Draw a snake and add feet to it”. Now people use this idiom to illustrate the truth that going too far is as bad as not going far enough.