Explore the Origins of Chinese Idioms

Author: Zhang Xuexian et al.
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-05-01
Features: Chinese language and literature is a great creation of the working people of our country. For thousands of years, it has served as a carrier of the splendid culture of China and is one of the most widely used and disseminated languages and literatures in the world. During its long history of use, it has formed many idiomatic expressions—fixed phrases or set phrases with concise forms and profound meanings. These are known as idioms. The idiomatic vocabulary is vast, like the boundless sea, renowned for its linguistic conciseness, profound meaning, and strong expressiveness. It is the essence of Chinese language and literature and a cultural treasure of the Chinese nation. The book discusses approximately 530 entries, which have certain reference value for the study of idioms and possess strong knowledge, readability, applicability, and interest. They are arranged in order of stroke count. Each entry consists of three parts:
(1) Origin and anecdotes: Exploring the dynasties in which each idiom originated and providing detailed accounts of the background stories;
(2) Biographical sketches: Briefly introducing who originated each idiom, their era, place of origin, courtesy names, nicknames, titles, posthumous honors, etc., as well as their official positions and notable deeds;
(3) Explanation of meaning: Clarifying the meaning of each idiom.