S2E06 | I Love You Man! | 高山流水
Saying: “Lofty mountains and flowing waters”
Pinyin: Gāo Shān Liú Shuǐ
Chinese: 高山流水
This is a nice musical Chinese Saying to describe a soulmate or someone who can be called your 知音 (zhīyīn), a friend who is appreciative or understanding of a friend (and his talents). Like almost all of these Chengyu, it comes to us directly from the first half of the Eastern Zhou Period.
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Terms in Episode
Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
---|---|---|
Chéngyǔ | 成语 | Chinese saying or idiomatic expression |
Chǔ | 楚国 | Another Zhou Dynasty State centered around Hubei |
Duì Niú Tán Qín | 对牛弹琴 | playing a zither to an ox (cast pearls before swine) |
Gāo | 高 | tall, high or lofty |
Gāo shān | 高山 | lofty mountains |
Gāo Shān Liú Shuǐ | 高山流水 | Lofty Mountains and flowing waters |
Gǔzhēng | 古筝 | Ancient Chinese plucked instrument, over 2500 years old (not the same as a guqin 古琴) |
Hanyang | 汉阳 | one of the tri-cities that makes up the mighty city of Wuhan |
Jìn | 晋国 | Zhou Dynasty State, located mostly in Shanxi |
Kǒngzǐ kū Yán Huí | 孔子哭颜回 | Confucius Crying over the death of Yan Hui, an ancient tune from the Zhou period |
Liú | 流 | to flow |
Liú Shuǐ | 流水 | the flowing waters of a river |
Lǚ Bùwéi | 吕不韦 | 291-235 BCE Early Qin high up official, regent to young Qin Shuhuang |
Lǚ shi Chūnqiú | 吕氏春秋 | The Discourses of Lü Buwei |
Pípa | 琵琶 | Another ancient Chinese plucked string instrument |
Qín | 琴 | the zither or lute |
Shuǐ | 水 | water |
Shān | 山 | a mountain |
Sìchuān | 四川 | Province in southwest China, in ancient days, the Kingdom of Shu |
Tān Xiaǒ Shī Dà | 贪小失大 | To covet the small and lose the big, pennywise and pound foolish (from previous CSP Episode S1E02) |
Yú Bóyá | 俞伯牙 | Musical Jin official serving in Chu State |
Zhōng Zǐqī | 钟子期 | Music loving woodsman |