How to use Chinese expression 八仙过海, 各显神通?

Every individual has his or her own talent and skills, his or her own way of handling things. You might come across this Chinese idiom 八仙过海, 各显神通(Bā Xiān guò hǎi, gè xiǎn shéntōng) before, or if not, you’re probably meet it in the near future. It is used to describe that every one uses their own means or tricks to reach the same goal. It implies that every one is trying his / her best to achieve the goal independently.

This expression in Chinese came from a folklore story. You’ll be treated with a video to watch later. I’ll lay out the brief story line here for you to read first, both in Chinese, pinyin and English:

    <Chinese>

    传说古时候有八个神仙，他们分别是铁拐李、张果老、汉钟离、曹国舅、蓝采和、吕洞宾、何仙姑与韩湘子。这八个神仙外貌和脾气都各有特色，经常在一起聚会论道，展示自己的独门法术。

    有 一天，他们一同去参加王母娘娘的蟠桃大会，途中需要渡过东海。茫茫东海，浩瀚无边，天下的凡人和船只根本就没有办法穿越它。于是吕洞宾就提议：“不如我们 八个人每人都将自己随身所带的一件宝物投进大海，让这些宝物载我们过海。”大家一致同意吕洞宾的意见。铁拐李首先把拐杖投进水里，自己稳稳地站在上面，屹 立在浪花之上。接下来，韩湘子投下花篮，吕洞宾投下箫，蓝采和投下大拍板，汉钟离投下鼓，张果老投下一个纸驴，曹国舅投下玉笏（ｈù），何仙姑投下竹罩。 他们各自站在自己投放的东西上面，依靠自己的神力，乘风破浪，终于顺利地到达了东海对岸，如期参加了王母娘娘的蟠桃大会。

    <pin yin>

    chuánshuō gǔshíhou yǒu bā gè shénxiān， tāmen fēnbié shì tiě guǎi lǐ、 zhāng guǒ lǎo、 hàn zhōng lí、 cáo guó jiù、 lán cǎi hé、 lǚ dòng bīn、 hé xiāngū yǔ Hán Xiāng zǐ。 zhè bā gè shénxiān wàimào hé píqi dōu gè yǒu tèsè， jīngcháng zàiyīqǐ jùhuì lùn dào， zhǎnshì zìjǐ de dú mén fǎshù。

    yǒu yī tiān， tāmen yītóng qù cānjiā Wángmǔniángniáng de pántáo dàhuì， túzhōng xūyào dùguò Dōng Hǎi。 mángmáng Dōng Hǎi， hàohàn wúbiān， tiānxià de fánrén hé chuánzhī gēnběn jiù méiyǒubànfǎ chuānyuè tā。 yúshì lǚ dòng bīn jiù tíyì：“ bùrú wǒmen bā gèrén měirén dōu jiāng zìjǐ suíshēn suǒ dài de yī jiàn bǎowù tóu jìn dàhǎi， ràng zhèxiē bǎowù zài wǒmen guò hǎi。” dàjiā yīzhì tóngyì lǚ dòng bīn de yìjiàn。 tiě guǎi lǐ shǒuxiān bǎ guǎizhàng tóu jìnshuǐ lǐ， zìjǐ wěn wěn dì zhàn zài shàngmian， yì lì zài lànghuā zhīshàng。 jiēxiàlái， Hán Xiāng zǐ tóu xià huā lán， lǚ dòng bīn tóu xià xiāo， lán cǎi hé tóu xià dà pāibǎn， hàn zhōng lí tóu xià gǔ， zhāng guǒ lǎo tóu xiàyīge zhǐ lǘ， cáo guó jiù tóu xià yù hù（ｈù）， hé xiāngū tóu xià zhú zhào。 tāmen gèzì zhàn zài zìjǐ tóufàng de dōngxi shàngmian， yīkào zìjǐ de shénlì， chéngfēngpòlàng， zhōngyú shùnlì dì dàodá le Dōng Hǎi duì’àn， rúqī cānjiā le Wángmǔniángniáng de pántáo dàhuì。

    <rough translation>

    once upon a time, there were eight immortals that always get together to show each other their own spells. One day, they came together to attend Queen Mother’s peach party. They has to cross east sea in order to get to the party venue. Then, Lu Dong Bing, one of the immortals suggested that each of them threw one magic treasure into the sea to get across.  Everyone agreed. So they threw crane, basket, flute, wood pad, drum, paper donkey, jade slate, and bamboo mask into the sea one by one. Each of these magic treasure turned into a unique float device to send them over the sea to finally attend the party.

Do you enjoy the story? Well, if your friend ask about it, you can explain the Chinese idiom to them in a simple sentence as well: Like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each one shows his or her special prowess.

The final question is, how can I use it in my own article or speaking? Don’t worry, I’ll show you how?

    yīnyuèhuì de piào yǐjīng màiguāngle, nǐmen yào xiǎng qù, zhǐnéng Bā Xiān guò hǎi, gè xiǎn shéntōng le.

    音乐会的票已经卖光了, 你们要想去, 只能八仙过海, 各显神通了.

    The tickets for the concert have sold out, if you guys really want to go, each of you has to find your own way to get it.
    1. ba-xian-guo-hai

Hope you had fun learning this expression today. Enjoy your weekend and see you next time.