Chinese Idiom Stories：The Magic Four 2

　　No sound, no problem！（掩耳盜鈴）
　　Groundless worries （杞人憂天）

　　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 attitude and behaviour as its theme。

　　Each story is accompanied with extra learning elements：
　　• The literal and figurative meanings；
　　• A similar idiom/phrase in the English language；
　　• Definitions of useful vocabularies 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！

 

A contradiction in terms
自相矛盾
Run counter to the correct route
南轅北轍
Blow hot and cold
朝三暮四
No sound, no problem!
掩耳盜鈴
The copycat walker
邯鄲學步
Not letting nature take its course
揠苗助長
Set in one’s ways
刻舟求劍
Riding on the coattails of virtuosos
濫竽充數
Give a brick, get jade back
拋磚引玉
A pale imitation of a beauty
東施效顰
Closing the stable door after the horse has bolted
臨渴掘井
Throw in the towel
半途而廢
If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything
鐵杵成針
To have a clear picture in one's mind
胸有成竹
Not rest on your laurels
百尺竿頭
It's  all in your mind
杯弓蛇影
Delusions of grandeur
夜郎自大
Party like you just don't care
樂不思蜀
Where there's a will, there's a way
愚公移山
Groundless worries
杞人憂天
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。