lament one 's littleness before the vast ocean(wàng yáng xīng tàn)

lament one 's littleness before the vast ocean

Wang Yang Xing Tan, a Chinese idiom, Pinyin is w à ngy á NGX à NGT à n, which means lamenting one's own insignificance in front of great things. Now many metaphors of doing things because of lack of strength or no conditions and feel helpless. From Chuang Tzu autumn water.

The origin of Idioms

Chuang Tzu autumn water: "so Yan, he Bo began to turn his face, looking at the ocean and sighing."

Idiom usage

Volume 6 of the confused world written by Wu Jianren in Qing Dynasty: "before she Nianzu arrived, she was very happy and eager to have a try. After she arrived, she probably looked at the situation and felt very disappointed." Li Erhe's seven thousand years on the sea: "human commercial activities have been closely related to land and water transportation since ancient times, but what were the merchant ships used by ancient merchants? But people have no idea. They can only look at the ocean and sigh. They can only guess from the few words in ancient books. "

Idioms and allusions

ancient Chinese prose

When autumn comes, all rivers irrigate the river. Jingliu of the big, between the two Lanzhu cliff, do not argue cattle and horses. So Yan, he Bo is happy, to the beauty of the world for himself. As for the North Sea, you can't see the water end from the East. So Yanhe uncle began to turn his face, looked at the ocean, and sighed: "there is a wild saying:" when you hear a hundred words, you think you are not yourself. " I call it also. And if I have heard of shaozhongni, and despise the righteousness of Boyi, I believe in it. Now I see that it's difficult for me to be poor. If I'm not a son, I'll be in danger. I've always laughed at the family of Dafang. " Beihai Ruo said, "well frogs can't speak to the sea, they are confined to the void; summer insects can't speak to the ice, they are devoted to the time; Qu Shi can't speak to the Tao, they are bound to teach. Now I come from the cliff and look at the sea. I know that I am ugly. I can talk with you about Dali. The water in the world is no greater than the sea. When all rivers return, they do not know when they will stop and not be full; when they are discharged at the end, they do not know when they will be full; when spring and autumn remain unchanged, they do not know whether there will be floods or droughts. The flow across the river can't be counted. And I have never been more than this, and I have been inspired by Yin and Yang by comparing with heaven and earth. I am between heaven and earth, just like small stones and small trees in the mountains. Fang Cunhu see less, but also Xi from more! Is it not as if the sky is in daze? Is China in the sea not like rice in the big warehouse? The number of things is ten thousand, and people live in one place. When people live in Kyushu, they are born of grain and food, and they are connected by boat and car, and they live in one place. This is more than all things, and it's not like the end of luxury lies in the body of horse? The five emperors, the three kings, the benevolent people, and the scholars should do their best! Bo Yi's Ci is regarded as a name, and Zhong Ni's is regarded as Bo, so it's more than itself. Isn't it like that Er Xiang is more than water? " ——Zhuangzi autumn water

translation

Autumn comes on time, thousands of rivers rush into the Yellow River, the water has been the vast flow, looking from afar between the two sides of the island Zhu cliff stone, can not distinguish the shape of cattle and horses. So, he Bo (the God of the Yellow River) was happy and thought that all the beautiful scenery in the world was in his own place. He followed the current eastward to the North Sea (now the Bohai Sea). He looked east and couldn't see the end of the current. As a result, he Bo changed his manner, looked up blankly and said to Beihai RuO (the God of Beihai), "as the saying goes:" I think I know a lot of truth, and no one can catch up with me. " That's just me. Moreover, I've heard that some people belittled Zhongni's knowledge and belittled Boyi's righteousness. At first, I didn't believe it. Now I see the vastness of you. If I don't come to you, how dangerous it is. I will always be ridiculed by knowledgeable people. " Beihai Ruo said: "the frog at the bottom of the well can't talk to him about the size of the sea, because it is limited by the narrow living environment; the insect in summer can't talk to him about the ice in winter, because it is limited by the climate and season; the musician with poor knowledge can't talk to him about the big truth, because he is confined to the narrow education. Now that you have come out of the riverbank of shuiya and seen the vast sea, you will know your meanness, and you can talk about the truth with me. All the water in the world is bigger than the sea. Thousands of rivers flow to the sea, and they don't know when they will stop and not overflow. They flow from the tail, and they don't know when they will run out and not empty. No matter in spring or autumn, the sea never changes. No matter in drought or flood, the sea never feels. This is where the sea is better than the river. The sea can't be calculated by its capacity, but I never boast about it. I think my body is the same as heaven and earth, and my spirit is influenced by Yin and Yang. I am between heaven and earth, like a small stone or a small tree on Mount Tai. How can I be arrogant. Please think of the four seas in heaven and earth, not like a small stone immersed in the lake? The whole country is in the four seas, isn't it like a grain of rice in Taicang? There are tens of thousands of things in the world, and man is just one of them. Kyushu is so big that many people live in it, grow a lot of grain, and travel a lot of boats, boats, chariots and horses. People are just one of them. Compared with all things, isn't man like a hair on a horse? What the three kings and five emperors wanted to inherit and fight for in ancient times, what the Confucians who spoke of benevolence and righteousness worried about, and what the Mohists who spoke of hard work worked hard for, were all these things. But Boyi refused to accept it in the name of righteousness, and Zhongni kept talking in order to show that he was knowledgeable. This is their self boasting, isn't it like you just boasted about the size of their water? "

Idioms and legends

It is said that a long time ago, there was a river god in the Yellow River. People called him Hebo. He Bo stands on the Bank of the Yellow River. Looking at the rolling waves coming from the West and rushing to the East, he said excitedly, "the Yellow River is so big, there is no river in the world that can compare with it. I am the biggest water god The sea told him: "your words are wrong. There is a place in the east of the Yellow River called Beihai, which is really big." He Bo said, "I don't believe it. No matter how big the North Sea is, can it be bigger than the Yellow River?" "The sea said:" don't say a Yellow River, even a few yellow river water into the North Sea, also can't fit it! "He Bo stubbornly said:" I haven't seen the North Sea, I don't believe it. " The sea was helpless and told him, "if you have a chance to go to my North Sea, you will understand what I said." it's autumn, and torrential rain has poured all the rivers into the Yellow River. The Yellow River's surface is wider. Looking across the river, the cattle and horses on the other side are indistinguishable. This time, he Bo was even more proud. He thought that the most spectacular scenery in the world was his own. While he was complacent, he thought of the North Sea that someone had mentioned to him, so he decided to go there to have a look. He Bo came to the mouth of the Yellow River downstream, and suddenly his eyes lit up. The God of the sea, Beihai Ruo, welcomed him with a smile. He Bo looked around and saw that the North Sea was boundless and boundless, He looked at it blankly for a while and said to Beihai Ruo with deep feeling: "as the saying goes, if you only know some truth, you think no one can match you. It's me. Today, if I had not seen the boundless North Sea with my own eyes, I would have thought that the Yellow River was incomparable in the world! Then, won't you be laughed at forever by people with insight, ha ha! "

Analysis of Idioms

Impotence, helplessness and arrogance

Chinese PinYin : wàng yáng xīng tàn