Visiting Assistant Professor of Chinese Studies at Vassar. This feed is mostly China and my cat Desmond. She/her
Poughkeepsie, NY
Joined December 2011
- Tweets12.5K
- Following1.4K
- Followers11.6K
- Likes3.8K
Today’s Chinese: 天下没有不散的筵席 (tiānxià méiyǒu bú sàn de yánxí) there are no never-ending feasts under heaven - all good things must come to an end
Today’s Chinese: 忙中有错 (máng zhōng yǒu cuò) “to make an error while busy” - when you make a mistake or miss something because you are rushed or busy, often said in explanation or apology.
Today’s Chinese: 船到桥头自然直 (chuán dào qiáotóu zìrán zhí) “when the boat gets to where it passes under the bridge it’ll straighten out naturally” things will work out, don’t worry too much, cross that bridge when you come to it
Today’s Chinese: 远水救不了近火 (yuǎn shuǐ jìu but liǎo jìn huǒ) “distant water won’t put out nearby fires” - urgent problems require timely solutions, measured or gradual changes are not effective in confronting crises
Today’s Chinese: 一言难尽 (yì yán nán jìn) literally “difficult for one remark to exhaust it” - it’s a long story
Liz Carter retweeted
Also the title of the excellent blog by Carl Gene Fordham! carlgene.com/blog/
Today’s Chinese: 一步一个脚印 (yí bù yíge jiǎoyìn) “one step, one footprint” to take things one step at a time, make steady progress
Today’s Chinese: 吃不了兜着走 (chī but liǎo dōu zhe zǒu) “if you can’t finish eating it you’ll have to take the rest home” - if you make your bed you have to lie in it, if you start something you’ll have to deal with the consequences
Today’s Chinese: 雷声大，雨点小 (léishēng dà, yǔdiǎn xiǎo) “loud thunder (but) tiny raindrops”- all talk and little action, to make a show of doing things but not actually do much.
Liz Carter retweeted
in middle school i heard from a classmate a family saying of theirs and it went like 自己尿歪了還怪馬桶噴尿 “blaming the toilet for pissing on the floor when you can’t aim”
Today’s Chinese: 木已成舟 (mù yǐ chéng zhōu) “the wood has already become a boat” - something can’t be undone, you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. 🪵⏩️🛶
Today’s Chinese: 拉不出屎来怨茅房 (lā bu chū shǐ lái yuàn máo fáng) “blame the toilet when you can’t shit” to blame others for your own shortcomings.
Today’s Chinese: 好记性不如烂笔头 (hăo jìxìng bù rú làn bǐtóu) “even a good memory is no match for a worn out pen nib” - better to write something down than trust you're going to remember it.
Today’s Chinese: 学海无涯 (xué hǎi wú yá) the sea of learning is without limits - there will always be an endless sea of knowledge one has yet to learn