S1E04 | A Lousy Place to Fish | 缘木求鱼
Saying: “Climb a tree to catch a fish”
Pinyin: Yuán Mù Qiú Yǔ
Chinese: 缘木求鱼
This week’s Chengyu phrase features no less a personage than the great philosopher Mencius himself, Mengzi to the cognoscenti. In this chengyu, Mengzi preaches a lesson of peace to the King of Qi State in Shandong province.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| chéngyǔ | 成语 | saying or idiom |
| Duke of Zhōu | 周公 | Son of Zhou founder, regent to third Zhou king and a whole lot more |
| Eastern Zhōu | 东周 | 771-256 BCE |
| Héběi | 河北 | province in North China |
| Hénán | 河南 | province in North China |
| King Xuān of Qí | 齐宣王 | King of the Qi State 319-301 BCE |
| Mèngzǐ | 孟子 | Mencius, Confucius’s best known follower |
| Mù | 木 | wood or tree |
| Qiú | 求 | to seek or look for |
| Qiú yú | 求鱼 | to seek a fish |
| Qí | 齐国 | Ancient state in present day Shandong province |
| Shāndōng | 山东 | province in North China |
| Shānxī | 山西 | province in North China |
| Shǎnxī | 陕西 | province in North China |
| Spring and Autumn period | 春秋 | 771-476 BCE (1st part of Eastern Zhou) |
| Warring States period | 战国 | 475-256 BCE |
| Western Zhōu | 西周 | 1046-771BCE |
| Yuán | 缘 | reason, edge, along, predestined relationship |
| Yuán Mù | 缘木 | to climb a tree |
| Yuán Mù Qiú Yǔ | 缘木求鱼 | Climb a tree to catch a fish |
| Yú | 鱼 | fish |
| Zhōu Dynasty | 周朝 | Ancient Chinese dynasty 1046 – 256 BCE |
