Chinese Idiom Stories: The Magic Four 1

　　The cunning fox's tiger power （狐假虎威）
　　Good teamwork to achieve wicked goals （狼狽為奸）
　　A one-trick donkey （黔驢技窮）
　　There are hundreds more of these Chinese idioms (chengyu) that pack a lot of meaning into four characters.

　　Many of these Chinese idioms originate from historical events, classics, and folklore; they give us valuable insights into Chinese culture, history, and literature.

　　Aimed at English learners, The Magic Four groups together some of these well-known stories with animals as its theme.

　　Each story is accompanied with extra learning elements:
　　• The literal and figurative meanings of the Chinese idiom;
　　• A similar idiom/phrase in the English language;
　　• Definitions of useful vocabulary words in the story;
　　• Meanings of different idioms/phrases used in the stories and examples.

　　Not only will you gain insight into Chinese wisdom accumulated for centuries but also learn fun aspects of the English language too!
 

Don't rock the boat
投鼠忌器
Cast pearls before swine
對牛彈琴
The cunning fox's tiger power
狐假虎威
No such thing as a free lunch
守株待兔
Talk the talk, but not walk the walk
葉公好龍
The final touch
畫龍點睛
An old hand
老馬識途
A bad apple that spoils the bunch
害群之馬
A blessing in disguise
塞翁失馬
Straying from the right path
歧路亡羊
Better late than never
亡羊補牢
Strike while the iron is hot
聞雞起舞
At a loss for words
呆若木雞
An inflated sense of self
螳臂當車
Broaden your horizons
井底之蛙
Profiting from a stalemate
鷸蚌相爭
Drop-dead gorgeous
沉魚落雁
Good teamwork to achieve wicked goals
狼狽為奸
A one-trick donkey
黔驢技窮
Can't see the wood from the trees
盲人摸象
Index


 

作者簡介



Catherine Chan

　　For over two decades, Catherine Chan worked for major newspaper companies that publish English educational titles. She had initiated student publications for primary and secondary students, and book projects, ranging from educational materials to children stories to university publications. Currently, Catherine is the Consulting Editor for Hong Kong Economic Journal (Education section), and has launched her own audio-enabled publication for young children titled BINGO!

Simon Lau

　　Born in England, Simon has been working in education and the media in Hong Kong since 1996. He has worked as a writer and editor for South China Morning Post, Pearson, Hong Kong Economic Times, The Standard (published under the Sing Tao Group) and Hong Kong Economic Journal. He has worked as a certified examiner for various Cambridge English exams and has written and published humorous short stories and poems.

繪者簡介

William Ma

　　Born in Shandong and now living in Guangzhou, William is an illustrator whose drawings have been published in children's books and magazines for two decades. Watercolour version of the artwork in this book first appeared in The Korea Herald, an English language national newspaper published in South Korea. William has produced books and cards together with kindergarteners to create their masterpieces.