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Four stories
Playing the lute to a cow
In ancient times, there was a man who played the zither very well. Once he played a tune in front of a cow, hoping that the cow would appreciate it. The tune was melodious, but the cow showed no reaction, and just kept on eating grass, the man sighted ,and went away.
This idiom is used to indicate reasoning with stubborn people or talking to the wrong audience.
Notching the boat to find the sword
In the warring state period, a man in state of Chu had a sword which he cherished very much. One day, when he was cross a river in a boat, the sword was suddenly fell into the water. The man then made a mark on the side of the boat at a spot where the sword had fallen overboard. When the boat reached this shore, he jumped from the spot he marked into the water to find his sword.
This idiom satirizes those who stick to rigid rules instead of taking change circumstance into account.
The man who worried that the sky would fall
In the Spring and Autumn Period, in the state of Qi there was a man who always let his imagination run away with him. One day, he even worried that the sky would fall on his head, he was so worried that he could neither eat or sleep. Later, someone persuaded him that his fears was groundless.
This idiom satirizes those who worry unnecessarily.
Turn pale at the mention of a tiger
Once upon a time, a man was telling stories about how tigers can injure people.
Among the listeners there was a farmer who had once been attacked by a tiger and almost lost his life, he was so scared that his face turned pale.
This idiom means looking nervous and fearful when someting awful is mentioned.
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