Chinese allegories Lesson 13

tuó zi diē gēn tou – liăng tóu bù zhuó (luò) shí
驼子跌跟头 – 两头不着（落）实
Like a hunchback falling down with neither the head nor the feet touching the ground – fall between two stools

dĕng gōng jī xià dàn – méi zhĭ wang
等公鸡下蛋 – 没指望
Never expect a rooster to lay an egg. – There is no hope for something.

hán xìn jiàng bīng – duō duō yì shàn
韩信将兵 – 多多益善
Han Xin (strategist in the Qin and Han dynasties) commanding troops – The more, the better.

zhāng fēi chuān zhēn – cū zhōng yŏu xì
张飞穿针 – 粗中有细
Zhang Fei (general of Shu of the Three Kingdoms, known for his sometimes rash bravery) threading a needle – There's subtlety in what seems to be crudeness.

sūn hóu zi de liăn – shuō biàn jiù biàn
孙猴子的脸 – 说变就变
The Monkey King's face – unpredictable changes

lăo hǔ dài fó zhū – jiă cí bēi
老虎戴佛珠 – 假慈悲
A tiger wearing a monk's beads – A vicious person pretending to be benevolent

luó bo qīng cài – gè yŏu suŏ ài
萝卜青菜 – 各有所爱
No dish suits all tastes; one man's meat is another man's poison; every Jack has his Jill.

căo shang de lù shui – nán cháng jiǔ
草上的露水 – 难长久
Dew on the grass – can't last long