to talk freely without being awed in the presence of the high and mighty(mén shī ér tán)

to talk freely without being awed in the presence of the high and mighty

Speaking of lice, Chinese idiom, Pinyin is m é NSH ī é RT á n, which means talking while holding lice. It's easy to talk without fear. It comes from the biography of Wang Meng in the book of Jin.

Idiom explanation

M: press. Talking while holding the lice. It's easy to talk without fear.

The origin of Idioms

In the book of Jin, biography of Wang Meng: "when Huan Wen entered the pass, he was browned and attainable. When he talked about the affairs of the time, he looked as if there were no one else."

Idiom usage

In Lu Xun's collection of Wei Jin demeanor and the relationship between articles and medicine and wine, it is said that "talking about lice is a beautiful talk at that time."

Idioms and allusions

Beihai Wang Meng, less eager to learn, Ti Tang, ambitious, disdain to detail, people are light of it. He lived in seclusion in Huayin. When I heard that constant temperature had entered the pass, I would like to talk about the affairs of the world as if there were no one else. Wen Yizhi asked, "I've been ordered by the emperor to wipe out the remnant thieves for the common people, but the heroes of the three Qin Dynasties didn't get them. Why?" Meng said: "the public is not far away from thousands of miles, deep into the enemy's territory. Now Chang'an is very close, but does not cross the Ba River. In order to know the public mind, the people do not arrive." Wen, however, could not respond. Xu said, "there is no Qing in Jiangdong." It's the fierce army's plan to sacrifice wine. Wang Meng, a Beihai native, was a studious young man. He was talented and ambitious. He disdained trivial affairs. People despised him. However, Wang Meng lived in seclusion in Huayin. When he heard that Huan Wen had entered the pass, he went to visit him dressed in coarse cloth and talked about the major events at that time while touching the lice. Huan Wen felt that he was different, so he asked: "I was ordered by the emperor to command 100000 elite troops to wipe out the remaining bandits for the common people. However, no one from the heroes of the Sanqin Dynasty has come to join us. Why?" Wang Meng said: "you are not far away from thousands of miles, deep into the enemy's soil. Now Chang'an is close at hand, but you do not cross the Ba River. The people do not know your intention, so they do not come." Huan Wen was silent, unable to respond. After a while, he said, "no one in the south of the Yangtze River can compare with you!" So he arranged for Wang Meng to serve as a temporary military officer.

Chinese PinYin : mén shī ér tán