Idioms Lesson 46 A fabled roc flies 10,000 li – have a bright future 鹏程万里

A fabled roc flies 10,000 li – have a bright future

In the Chinese classic Zhuangzi, there is a legend like this:

once upon a time, a gigantic fish named Kun lived in the North Sea. No one knew how large it actually was. This fish could change itself into Peng (a roc), a huge bird measuring thousands of kilometers in length. When the bird spread its wings, it looked like huge clouds in the sky. It could, in one stretch, fly from the North Sea to the South Sea on the other side of the globe, and soar up to 90,000 li (45,000 kilometers) in the heaven.

The bird can surely fly over a long distance without stopping. Now people use this idiom to wish others have a successful career or a bright future.

péng chéng wàn lǐ
鹏程万里

       在《庄子》一书中有这样一个故事：

       很久很久以前，北海里住着一条巨大的鱼，名字叫鲲 （kūn）。没有人知道它到底有多大。这条鱼能够变成鹏（péng），一种庞大的鸟，有几百万米长。鹏鸟展开翅膀就像天空里的一大片云。它能一口气从北海飞到地球另一边的南海。当它展翅高飞的时候，它可以冲上90000里（45000公里）的高空。

       毫无疑问，这种鸟一次能飞过很长的距离。人们用“鹏程万里”这个成语来祝愿别人事业顺利，前途光明。

chà zǐ yān hóng
姹紫嫣红
brilliant purples and reds; blaze of colors
qí huā yì cǎo
奇花异草
exotic flowers and rare herbs

zhēn qín yì shòu
珍禽异兽
rare birds and unusual animals; rare birds and animals

shēng jī bó bó
生机勃勃
full of vigor

mù bù xiá jiē
目不暇接
The eye cannot take it all in; there are too many things for one’s eyes to feast on.

ěr mù yī xīn
耳目一新
find everything fresh and new