S4E10 | Salvation, Zhang Gang Style | 釜底游鱼
Saying: “a fish at the bottom of the pot”
Pinyin: Fǔ Dǐ Yóu Yú
Chinese: 釜底游鱼
For the Season 4 closer, we end with a story taken from the Later Book of Han from the chapter all about the model official Zhang Gang. Not even the evil Liang Ji of Han Emperor Shun's time could poison the reputation and deeds of Zhang Gang. In this week's CSP offering, we see Zhang Gang talk some sense with the rebel bandit Zhang Ying. We'll see how he throws Zhang Ying a lifeline to rescue him from a situation that this remorseful bandit leader described as Fǔ Dǐ Yóu Yú 釜底游鱼.
Don't forget, the Chinese terms from CSP episodes are all listed for you down below.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Fǔ Dǐ Yóu Yú | 釜底游鱼 | fish swinning in the botton of a cauldron - a person whose fate is sealed |
| Fǔ Zhōng Yóu yú | 釜中游鱼 | a variation of Fǔ Dǐ Yóu Yú (see above) |
| Fǔ | 斧 | an archaic name of a kind of cooking pot or cauldron |
| Dǐ | 低 | the bottom of |
| Fǔ Dǐ | 釜底 | at the bottom of the cauldron or cooking pot |
| Yóu | 游 | To swin |
| Yú | 鱼 | a fish |
| Hòu Hàn Shū | 后汉书 | The Later Book of Han, the 3rd of the 24 Official Histories of the dynasties |
| Zhāng Gāng Zhuàn | 张纲传 | The Biography of Zhang Gang (from the Later Book of Han) |
| Liú Sòng Dynasty | 刘宋 | The Liu Song Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties period 420-479 |
| Eastern Hàn | 东汉 | The Eastern Han 25-220 AD (or CE of you prefer) |
| Zhāng Gāng | 张纲 | 108-143, Eastern Han official known for his honesty and sincerity as well as for his story regarding the Bandit Zhang Ying |
| Emperor Shùn | 汉顺帝 | Emperor Shun of the Eastern Han who reigned 125-144 AD |
| Liáng Nà | 梁妠 | Empress to Han Emperor Shun, sister to Liang Ji |
| Liáng Jì | 梁冀 | Died in 159, Military general and corrupt politician. Brother to the Empress Liang Na |
| Jiāngsū | 江苏 | Coastal province in China |
| Yángzhōu | 扬州 | City in Jiangsu |
| Guǎnglíng | 广陵 | The historic center of Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, where the bandit Zhang Ying had his headquarters |
| Zhāng Yīng | 张婴 | Bandit leader in Guangling who made peace with Zhang Gang |
| Zhènjiāng | 镇江 | City in Jiangsu known, among other reasons, for its excellent vinegar |
| Qiánwéi | 犍为 | County in Sichuan not far from Chengdu. Located in Leshan Prefecture |
| Chéngdū | 成都 | Capital of Sichuan |
| Zhāng Xù | 张续 | Song of Zhang Gang |
| The CSP Chéngyǔ Yánjiū Zhōngxīn | CSP 成语研究中心 | The Chinese Sayings Podcast's state of the art research center for the study of Chinese Idioms |
| Chéngyǔ Yánjiū Zhōngxīn | 成语研究中心 | The Chengyu Research Center located in the UK and headed up by the hard-working Emma |
