rat 's liver and insect 's legs(shǔ gān chóng bì)

rat 's liver and insect 's legs

As a Chinese idiom, the Pinyin is sh ǔ g ā NCH ó NGB ì, which originally means to be big, but also can be transformed into humble things such as rat liver and insect arm. Later, he used "rat liver and insect arm" as a metaphor for humble people or things. From the great master of Zhuangzi.

Analysis of Idioms

[synonym]: rat liver

Idiom usage

There is no choice but to drink. Lu You, Song Dynasty, wrote the poem "Chengdu is slightly cold at the end of the year, drinking to rejuvenate"

The origin of Idioms

Dianyuan Zhuangzi, great master Erzi came ill, panted and died, and his wife wept. Zili asked, "Chih! Avoid! "No change!" Relying on his words, he said, "great fortune! What will Xi do with you, what will Xi do with you? Are you a rat liver? Are you the arm of a worm? " Zi Lai said, "parents are in charge of their children, East, West, North and south. Yin and yang are to people, not to their parents. If they are near my death and I don't listen to them, I will be fierce. What's the crime! My husband carries me in shape, labors me in life, loses me in old age, and relieves me in death. Therefore, those who are good at my life are good at my death. Today's Daye is casting gold, and gold enthusiastically says, "I will make it for you.". Today, the form of a criminal is called "human ear, human ear", and the man of fortune must be regarded as an ominous person. Today, heaven and earth are regarded as the great furnace and nature as the great rule. It's not good to go there! " It's like a dream, a dream.

translation

Before long, Zilai was ill too. His breath was short and he was about to die. His wife and children were weeping around the bed. Zi Li went to visit and said, "Hey, go away! Don't disturb his change from life to death Zi Li leaned against the door and said to Zi, "great, Creator! What will you become and where will you be sent? Does it change you into a rat liver? Turn you into the arm of an adult ant? " Zi said: "parents can only obey the orders of their children, no matter in the East, West, north or south. The change of nature is like a parent to human beings; it makes me close to death, but I don't listen to it. Then I'm too presumptuous, and what's wrong with it! The earth supports my body, toils me with survival, relaxes me with aging, and reposes me with death. So take my existence as a good thing, and therefore my death as a good thing. Now, if a skilled smelter casts metal utensils, and the metal melts, he jumps up and says, "I will have to be a good sword." the smelter must think that this is an unlucky metal. Now, once a person has taken on his appearance, he says, "grown up, grown up." the creator will surely think that this is an unlucky person. Now, if we regard the whole world as a melting pot and the creator as an excellent smelter, how can we drive me away? " So he left the world like sleeping peacefully, and then he seemed to wake up in surprise and return to the world.

Idiom story

Zisi, Ziyu, Zili and Zilai are all high minded scholars who are optimistic about life and death. Ziyu was ill. Zisi went to greet him. He was very happy. Zilai was ill, Zili went to comfort him. He took his family away and said to him: nature is really magical. When you die, do you want to become a rat liver or a worm arm?

Chinese PinYin : shǔ gān chóng bì