緣

If you’ve come to this page by chance, then maybe we have  緣 ???

( destined connection  ??? )    

 

In Different Corners Of The World - 天各一方

a classic (1980’s) Hong Kong song (in Cantonese) with philosophy of love that reflects the old Chinese culture  (keeping feelings inside rather than expressing them)  I really love this music and lyrics, but feel sad when listening ..

!!!  will put out my lyrics translation soon !!!

 

song in YouTube  -  for listening only  (video showing only the sky)  -  3:13 min.

music : Herb Alpert     lyrics : 俞琤, 小菲     sung by : 曾路得     words read by : 俞琤

 

anything everlasting ? - 不在乎天長地久, 只在乎曾經擁有

Written for (Swiss watches) Titus commercials in Hong Kong by the International Advertisement Awards winner, Mike Chu,  this (1990’s) slogan means,

“It doesn’t matter whether something can last as long as the sky and the earth.
 What really matters is whether you’ve ever possessed it.”

I love this beautifully written slogan at first sight  (and I like my English translation too)     However, this kind of thinking is definitely not traditional Chinese  (perhaps, modern Hong Kong?)  Nevertheless, the use of old poem-like classical Chinese to describe some modern thinking makes this slogan sound even more interesting !

 

Mr. Mike Chu (Hong Kong)  =  朱家鼎
不在乎 =  does not matter,      天長地久 =  lasting as long as the sky and the earth,
只在乎 =  only matter,                    曾經 =  ever,             擁有 =  possess

 

commerical 1  -  scenes in WWII era,  with actor CHOW Yun-fat  -  2:33 min.  YouTube

 
commercial 2  -  scenes in early 20th century,  with Anita MUI  -  0:59 min.  YouTube

 

growing trees vs. educating people ? - 十年樹木, 百年樹人

an old Chinese proverb,  meaning, 

“It takes ten years to grow a tree.  It takes a hundred years to educate a person.”

implying,

“it takes much more time and effort  to educate a person  than to grow a tree”

A previous teacher of mine heard this in a conference :  teachers usually have to say things more than 10 times before those things would get into the mind of a student. 

That explains how hard it is to educate a person !!      

 

十年 =  10 years,      樹 =  grow,          木 = wood = tree (in this context),
百年 =  100 years,    人 = person,     樹人 = educate a person

merciless chicken - 無情雞

This tradition (?)  sounds like a joke to me!  

In olden time, during the year-end employee dinner,  if the boss plans to fire an employee, he will turn and point the chicken head  (of the whole-chicken dish)  toward that person.  Thus the name, merciless chicken !!!    If he doesn’t want to fire anyone, he would point the chicken head toward himself.

A question immediately came to my mind  -  what if he wants to fire more than one employee,  which way will the chicken head point ?

 

無情 = merciless,      雞 = chicken    =>      無情雞 =  merciless chicken

( heard this in KTSF Cantonese news recently )

love = being together - 在天願作比翼鳥, 在地願為連理枝。

a beautiful sentence within a long poem,  meaning,

“If we are birds in the sky, I wish we can always fly together, wing touching wing.
 If we are trees on the ground, I wish we are twinned trunks, connected together.”

I believe loving a person is wishing to be with that person all the time, and has nothing to do with sex  (sex is only one form of expression of love).  This sentence really describes very well what I think of love.

 

在天 =  in the sky,          在地 =  on the ground,           願作 =  願為 = wish to be,
比翼 =  wing touching wing,      鳥 =  bird,     =>         比翼鳥 =  a pair of lovebirds
連理枝 =  twinned trunks 

( from poem  長恨歌  by  Tang dynasty poet  白居易 )

the Monk who knows the past & the future - 能知過去未來

When a naughty child heard about the monk who knows the past and can predict the future,  he decided to play a trick on the monk. 

Here was his plan:
hide a tiny bird out of sight to anyone behind himself,  test the monk’s prediction by asking him whether the bird hidden behind is alive or dead,
squeeze the bird to death before showing it to everyone  if the monk replied “alive”,
or  bring the bird out alive  if the monk replied “dead.”
His trick would ensure the monk predicts incorrectly either way.

When he finally played his trick,  the monk gave him a very surprised answer,
“dead or alive,  it is all in your hands!”

能 =  can,      知 =  know,      過去 =  past,      未來 =  future

(got this Chinese Buddhism story from some Hong Kong TV drama)

self-contradiction - 自相矛盾

the idiom self-contradiction came from this old Chinese story :

A weapon seller in the market place boasted that his spears could pierce through anything in the world, and his shields can withstand any weapons.  A spectator asked him what happened if he used his spears to pierce through his shields.   Discovered his own contradiction,  he could not answer the question! 

But the word formed by putting the 2 Chinese characters (spear and shield) together has meant “contradiction” ever since, while all 4 characters mean “self-contradiction” 

自 =  self,       相 =  appear,  
矛 =  spear,     盾 =  shield     =>     矛盾 =  contradiction

by fate ? - 命裡有時終需有, 命裡無時莫強求

 a fatalism oriented old Chinese quote,  meaning, 

“When something is in your fate,  you will have it ultimately.
 When something is not in your fate,  there is no use pressing hard for it.”

This quote may seem too passive for most people,  but those Chinese not believing in fatalism may still use it for comforting themselves after trying hard but failed to achieve their goals.

 

命  =  fate,     裡 =  inside     =>      命裡 =  in a person’s fate,
有時  =  have  (something)  at some time,     終需有 =  ultimately have (it),
無時 =  do not have  (something)  at any time,
莫   =  do not,       強 =  by force / press hard,     求 = request

can water make you full ? - 有情飲水飽

one of my favorite quotes,  meaning, 

“when a couple is really in love,  they would feel full by drinking water only”

i.e.   they won’t need anything else,  besides the basics

I am amazed to find a living creature in this world,  who can really survive by drinking water only – my bamboo !!         ( lucky bamboo in water bottle without soil )

有  =  have,       情 =  love,
飲 =  drink,      水 =  water,       飽 =  full  (opposite of hungry)

more than a hero ? - 識英雄重英雄

one of my favorite old Chinese quotes,  meaning,

“those who can tell  which person is a hero  are more than a hero”

Put it in another way :  “only heroes know who are heroes”
My extension :  “only smart people know who are smart”

識  =  know,       英雄 =  hero,       重 =  more than

ruler or bandit ? - 成者為王, 敗者為寇

this old quote appears frequently in Chinese history books, meaning,

“whoever succeeded  (in overthrowing a dynasty)  became the (new) ruler,
 whoever failed would be regarded as a bandit”

I would think rioter is a better word than bandit  (?)

Throughout Chinese history,  whenever a dynasty became very corrupted,  unhappy and unsatisfied citizens would try to overthrow it.

Even with the same intentions and actions, a person will be recorded differently in history, based on his/her success or failure.  This reminds me of Hitler’s quote, “success is the only earthly judge of right and wrong,”  which I am still wondering how correct it is in this practical world (?)

成者 =  winner,     敗者 =  loser,     為 =  became,     王 =  ruler,     寇 =  bandit