S3E04 | A Man of Great Ambition | 鸿鹄之志
Saying: “The ambitions of a swan”
Pinyin: Hóng Hú Zhī Zhì
Chinese: 鸿鹄之志
We’re in the dying days of the Qin Dynasty with this week’s Chinese Saying as we meet Chen Sheng, a.k.a. Chen She, whose origins couldn’t have been more humble. The Dazexiang Uprising marked a turning point in the fortunes of the Qin empire.
Hear his story and how he aspired to be to become the Hong hu Zhi Zhi concealed away in his heart.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ānhuì | 安徽 | Province in central China, west of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, East of Hunan and Henan |
| Chén Shèng | 陈胜 | A man of great ambition, leader of the ill-fated Dazexiang Uprising |
| Chén Shèng Shì Jiā | 陈胜世家 | The chapter in the Shi Ji that introduces the story of our main character |
| Chéngyǔ | 成语 | A Chinese saying or idiom |
| Chǔ-Hàn Contention | 楚汉之争 | 206 BCE The winner-take-all showdown between the forces of Xiang Yu of Chu and Liu Bang of Han |
| Dàzéxiāng Uprising | 大泽乡起义 | The first major uprising against the Qin Dynasty 209 BCE |
| Hàn Dynasty | 汉朝 | Dynasty that followed the fall of the Qin, 206 BCE - 220 CE |
| Hénán | 河南 | Ancient province where China began |
| Hóng | 鸿 | a swan or goose |
| Hóng Hú Zhī Zhì | 鸿鹄之志 | The ambitions of a swan |
| Hónghú | 鸿鹄 | the word for swan |
| Hú | 鹄 | also means a swan |
| Liú Bāng | 刘邦 | The founder of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Han Gaozu |
| Mìyún County | 密云区 | Located in the northwest corner of the Beijing Municipality |
| Pò Fǔ Chén Zhōu | 破釜沉舟 | From S3E03, Xiàng Yǔ’s bold order to smash the pots and burn the boats and take the fight to the Qin army or bust |
| Qín Dynasty | 秦朝 | The short lived dynasty that changed China forever 221-206 BCE |
| Qín Shǐhuáng | 秦始皇 | The first emperor of China (a.k.a. Ying Zheng) |
| Shǐ Jì | 史记 | The Record of the Grand Historian |
| Sùzhōu | 宿州 | City in Anhui Province (Not the Sūzhōu 苏州 of Jiangsu) |
| Sīmǎ Qiān | 司马迁 | Lived sometime around 145-86 BCE. Along with his father Sima Tan, he compiled the Record of the Grand Historian |
| Wú Guǎng | 吴广 | Chen Sheng's partner in launching the uprising |
| Yànquè ān zhī hónghu zhī zhì zāi? | 燕雀安知鸿鹄之志哉？ | How can a mere finch understand the great ambitions of a swan? |
| Yíng family | 赢家族 | The ruling family of Qin |
| Zhì | 志 | will or aspirations…ambitions |
| Zhāng Hán | 章邯 | The Qin general who was tasked with beating back all the uprisings against his emperor. Died 205 BCE |
| Zhī | 之 | a possessive particle that sort of acts as the Chinese version of our English apostrophe |
