S1E03 | A Sincere Gift of a Mere Trifle | 千里送鹅毛
Saying: “A swan feather from a thousand li (miles) away”
Pinyin: Qiānlǐ Sòng Émáo
Chinese: 千里送鹅毛
The next time someone looks down on your gift because its value isn’t much, now you have the perfect response.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Cháng'ān | 长安 | Modern day Xian. Ancient capital of a few dynasties |
| Chéngyǔ | 成语 | Chinese proverb or idiom |
| é | 鹅 | swan |
| Húběi | 湖北 | A province in Central China |
| Kūnmíng | 昆明 | Capital of Yunnan Province |
| Lǐ | 里 | a mile but specifically a Chinese mile which was about a third of a mile |
| lǐ | 礼 | a gift |
| Lǐ qīng qíngyì zhòng | 礼轻情意重 | The gift is light in value but heavy in meaning |
| Miǎn Bógāo | 缅伯高 | An official from the Yunnan-Burma region |
| máo | 毛 | feather |
| Páihú | 排湖 | Lake Pai |
| Qiān | 千 | a thousand |
| Qiānlǐ | 千里 | a thousand Li or a thousand miles |
| Qiānlǐ sòng é’máo | 千里送鹅毛 | A swan feather from a thousand li (miles) away |
| qíngyì | 情意 | affection or the positive feelings behind some action |
| qīng | 轻 | light, as in weight |
| sòng | 送 | to send |
| Táng Tàizōng | 唐太宗 | The Tang emperor Taizong (Li Shimin) |
| Xiāntáo | 仙桃 | City in Hubei province |
| Xīān | 西安 | Capital of Shaanxi Province |
| Yángzǐ | 扬子江 | Also called The Chang Jiang, China’s longest river |
| Yúnnán | 云南 | A province down in the southwest of China |
| zhòng | 重 | heavy |
