Through the Dynasties · LD12

Song

Commercial revolution and neo-Confucian scholarship

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Classical Poetry

Orthodox classical Chinese poetry spanning archaic ballads to Tang regulated verse.9 works
  1. Summer Quatrain (Living as a Hero)Li Qingzhao · Regulated QuatrainsIn life be a hero among men; in death be a champion among ghosts.
  2. Passing LingdingyangWen Tianxiang · Regulated OctavesSince ancient times who has escaped death? Keep a crimson heart to shine on bamboo annals.
  3. Ascending Feilai PeakWang Anshi · Regulated QuatrainsFear not floating clouds obstructing the view, for one stands on the highest heights.
  4. To My SonLu You · Regulated QuatrainsIn dying I well know all worldly matters end in void; my only grief is not beholding the nine provinces unified. On the day the royal armies march north to pacify Central Plains, in family ancestral rites forget not to inform your father!
  5. Visiting Shanxi VillageLu You · Regulated OctavesWhere mountains multiply and streams double one doubts there is any path; amid shady willows and radiant blossoms emerges yet another village.
  6. Canglang PavilionOuyang Xiu · Old-Style SongsThe pure breeze and bright moon were originally priceless, what a wonder they were purchased for a mere forty thousand coins! Zimei's pavilion is truly the most romantic, where clear springs and tall bamboo wind around together.
  7. Visiting Mount Wudang and Lodging at Zixiao PalaceQiu Chuji (Changchun Zhenren) · Regulated QuatrainsZixiao Palace rests upon Mount Taihe; across thousand valleys and ten thousand crags auspicious mists thicken. In the silence of night when heaven is lofty and constellations draw near, a single chiming of the stone bell reverberates throughout the void.
  8. Replying to Ziyou's Poem Recalling Old Times at MianchiSu Shi · Regulated OctavesWhat is a life, wandering from place to place? It must be like a flying swan treading on snowy mud.
  9. Visiting a Garden but Finding No One HomeYe Shaoweng · Regulated QuatrainsA garden full of spring cannot be locked away.

Ci Lyrics

Pinnacle of lyric verse and musical poetry spanning delicate grace and heroic grandeur.25 works
  1. Shuidiao Getou · When Will the Moon Be Clear and Bright?Su Shi · Mid-Length LyricsMay we live long and share the graceful moonlight across thousands of miles.
  2. Slow, Slow Song · Searching and SeekingLi Qingzhao · Long LyricsSearching and seeking, cold and desolate, sorrowful, miserable, and forlorn.
  3. A Spray of Plum Blossoms · Lotus Blossoms FadeLi Qingzhao · Mid-Length LyricsThis feeling cannot be dispelled: no sooner does it leave the brow than it leaps into the heart.
  4. Man Jiang Hong · Hair Bristles in WrathYue Fei · Long LyricsThirty years of deeds are dust and earth, eight thousand li of campaigns under clouds and moon. Do not idly let youthful hair turn white in empty grief!
  5. Nian Nu Jiao · Memories of the Red CliffsSu Shi · Long LyricsThe Great River surges east, its waves sweeping away all heroes of a thousand generations.
  6. Silk-Washing Stream (A Cup of Wine with a New Song)Yan Shu · Short LyricsHelplessly blossoms fall away; seeming familiar, swallows return. In the small garden along fragrant paths, all alone I pace to and fro.
  7. Butterflies Lingering over Flowers (How Deep the Courtyard)Ouyang Xiu · Short LyricsDeep within the courtyard, how deep is it? Willow groves pile thick mist, curtain screens layered countless times. With tearful eyes asking blossoms, the blossoms speak not; flying red petals swirl past the garden swing.
  8. Sheng Cha Zi (Lantern Festival)Ouyang Xiu · Short LyricsWhen the moon ascended above willow tips, lovers met after dusk. This year at the Lantern Festival night, moon and lantern lights remain as before. Seeing not that person of last year, tears drench my spring sleeves.
  9. Bells in the Rain (Cold Cicadas Chill and Plaintive)Liu Yong · Long LyricsSince antiquity the tender-hearted grieve over parting; how much more in the cold desolation of clear autumn! Tonight when wine wears off where shall I be? On willow-lined banks, in dawn breeze beneath the waning moon.
  10. Watching the Ocean Tide (Southeast Majestic Realm)Liu Yong · Long LyricsLayered lakes and stacked peaks are pristine and fair. With autumn sweet osmanthus and ten leagues of lotus blooms. Markets display jewels and pearls, households overflow with silk brocades, vying in splendor.
  11. Immortal at the Magpie Bridge (Slender Clouds Weave Wonders)Qin Guan · Short LyricsIf mutual love is steadfast and enduring, what need is there to cling together morning and night? When Autumn Wind and Jade Dew meet once in the skies, it surpasses countless earthly unions.
  12. Treading on Grass (Hostel in Chenzhou)Qin Guan · Mid-Length LyricsMist swallows high towers, moonlight veils river crossings. Gazing longing toward Peach Blossom Spring, nowhere can it be found. How can I endure being locked in solitary hostel amid spring chill, beneath crying cuckoos in slanted twilight sunset.
  13. Su Mu Zhe (Burning Aloeswood Incense)Zhou Bangyan · Mid-Length LyricsUpon lotus leaves early morning sun dries last night's rain; resting clear and round upon water, one by one the lotus blossoms sway upright in breeze.
  14. Calming the Waves (Listen Not to Rain Pelting Leaves)Su Shi · Mid-Length LyricsBamboo staff and straw sandals are lighter than horses—who fears? A straw cloak in misty rain suffices for a whole life. Looking back at the bleak storm-beaten place, returning home: there is neither wind and rain, nor fair sunshine.
  15. Jiang Cheng Zi (Dream on the Night of the 20th of the 1st Month)Su Shi · Mid-Length LyricsTen years of life and death boundless apart; not intentionally brooding, yet impossible to forget. A solitary mound ten thousand leagues away, with nowhere to confide desolation. Looking at each other speechless, only a thousand streams of tears.
  16. Jiang Cheng Zi (Hunting at Mizhou)Su Shi · Mid-Length LyricsThis old fellow for a while unleashes youthful wildness: left hand leashing yellow hound, right arm holding green hawk. Someday I shall draw the carved bow full like a round moon, looking northwestward to shoot down the Sirius star!
  17. Song of Divination (Dwelling at Dinghui Temple in Huangzhou)Su Shi · Short LyricsA crescent moon hangs from sparse paulownia boughs; the water clock has run out, all people fell silent. Who sees the secluded recluse pacing alone, a misty, solitary wild swan shadow? Picking through all cold branches refusing to roost, resting alone on cold, lonely sandbars.
  18. Breaking the Battle Array (Composed for Chen Tongfu)Xin Qiji · Mid-Length LyricsDrunk, I trim the lamp wick to look at my sword; in dreams I return to battle horns blaring across connected encampments. Distributing roasted beef among warrior ranks, fifty zither strings play frontier songs. Autumn inspection on the battlefield. Fulfilling the sovereign's sacred charge to reclaim the realm, winning enduring renown before and after death. Alas, white hair grows on my head!
  19. Yong Yu Le (Meditation on the Past at Beigu Pavilion in Jingkou)Xin Qiji · Long LyricsAcross eternal rivers and mountains, where can one find hero Sun Quan? Recall those bygone days: golden lances and armored steeds, swallowing ten thousand leagues like a tiger! Who will ask: General Lian Po has grown old—can he still eat his fill?
  20. Green Jade Cup (Lantern Festival)Xin Qiji · Short LyricsSearching for her thousands of times in the crowd; suddenly turning my head, that person is right there, where lantern lights are dim and waning.
  21. Chou Nu Er (Inscribed on the Wall on the Way to Boshan)Xin Qiji · Short LyricsIn youth I knew not the taste of sorrow, loving to climb high towers. Loving to climb high towers, composing new lyrics feigning sorrow. Now having known all sorrow's bitter taste, wishing to speak yet holding back. Wishing to speak yet holding back, I only say: 'What a crisp, cool autumn day!'
  22. Phoenix Hairpin (Pink Delicate Hands)Lu You · Short LyricsCruel is the east wind, fragile is joy. A breast full of sorrow, years of lonely separation. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Though mountain vows endure, silk letters are impossible to send. Cease, cease, cease!
  23. Song of Divination (Ode to the Plum Blossom)Lu You · Short LyricsHaving no intention to bitterly compete for spring, letting the host of flowers envy at will. Even if withered into mud and ground to dust, its fragrance endures as of old.
  24. Jianzi Mulanhu · Spring MelancholyZhu Shuzhen · Short LyricsWalking alone, sitting alone, chanting alone, answering alone, and sleeping alone. Standing still in desolation, helpless against the biting chill. Who perceives this heartache? Tears wash away half the faded makeup; grief and ailment intertwine, trimming down cold lamp wicks while dreams never form.
  25. Shuitiao Getou · Summary of the Journey to the WestQiu Chuji (Changchun Zhenren) · Long LyricsHeaven generates wondrous spiritual entities from pristine nature; cultivating the Great Dao one realizes subtle mysteries. When ninefold golden elixir works are fulfilled, in one dawn one leaps upward into blue heaven. Ten thousand miles of passes and peaks harbor no obstruction, transcending the boundless cosmos.

Rhapsody & Parallel Prose

Grand rhapsodies and parallel prose showcasing acoustic symmetry and ornate eloquence.4 works
  1. First Rhapsody on the Red CliffSu Shi · Prose RhapsodiesLodging like mayflies between heaven and earth, tiny as a single grain in the vast ocean. Lamenting the transience of our brief life, envying the unending flow of the Great Yangtze. Only the clear breeze over the river and the bright moon among mountains: when ear hears it, it becomes sound; when eye meets it, it becomes color. Taking without prohibition, using without exhaustion—this is the boundless inexhaustible treasury of the Creator.
  2. Rhapsody on the Sounds of AutumnOuyang Xiu · Prose RhapsodiesPlants have no feeling, yet shed in appointed seasons. Man is a sentient creature, the crown of all life; yet hundreds of anxieties stir his heart and myriad affairs toil his body—no wonder rosy cheeks wither like dried wood, and jet-black hair turns to scattered stars!
  3. Latter Rhapsody on the Red CliffSu Shi · Prose RhapsodiesThe river surged with audible currents, the sheer bluffs rose a thousand feet; the mountains loomed high beneath a diminutive moon, and as the waters receded, jagged rocks emerged. How brief the passage of days and months, yet the landscape is transformed beyond recognition!
  4. Rhapsody on the Singing CicadaOuyang Xiu · Prose RhapsodiesDrinking pure dew to remain unstained, perching on high boughs to keep aloof. Singing of autumn sorrow to move human hearts, vibrant echoes tragic and clear. Alas, tiny creature, for what purpose do you pour out your song?

Classical Prose

Authoritative classical prose from Pre-Qin philosophers to Tang-Song prose masters.19 works
  1. Memorial on Yueyang TowerFan Zhongyan · Travel WritingBe the first to bear hardships for the world, and the last to partake in its joy.
  2. Record of the Old Drunkard PavilionOuyang Xiu · Travel WritingThe Old Drunkard's delight lies not in wine, but in the mountains and waters. The joy of mountain and stream is found in the heart and entrusted to wine. People know the joy of following their governor on excursions, yet know not that the governor finds his highest joy in their joy!
  3. Record of Visiting Mount BaochanWang Anshi · Travel WritingThe most marvelous, magnificent, and extraordinary sights under heaven usually lie in dangerous, distant places where few tread; therefore none but those with resolute willpower can reach them. If one exhausts one's utmost resolve yet fails to arrive, one may have no regrets—who then could mock him?
  4. On the Love of the LotusZhou Dunyi · Essays & MemorialsI uniquely love the lotus for emerging from murky mud yet remaining unstained, bathed in clear ripples yet free from coquettish vanity; hollow within and straight without, neither clinging to vines nor branching astray; its fragrance growing purer the farther it spreads, standing erect in pristine purity, to be admired from afar and not treated with vulgar familiarity.
  5. On Political FactionsOuyang Xiu · Essays & MemorialsVirtuous men form associations based on shared principles, while petty men band together for shared profit; this is natural truth. Rejecting the false cliques of petty men and employing the true friendships of gentlemen brings peace to the realm.
  6. Preface to the Biographies of the Actor-Courtiers in the History of the Five DynastiesOuyang Xiu · Essays & MemorialsDiligence and hardship prosper a nation, while indolence and luxury ruin the person; this is the law of nature. Disasters ever accumulate from slight neglects, and wisdom and courage are trapped by obsessive indulgence.
  7. Treatise on the Six StatesSu Xun · Essays & MemorialsThe fall of the Six States was not due to poor weapons or flawed tactics, but the folly of bribing Qin. Appeasing Qin with land is like putting out a fire with firewood: so long as fuel remains, the blaze will never cease.
  8. Mental Artistry of CommandSu Xun · Essays & MemorialsIn the discipline of generalship, one must first master the mind. Even if Mount Tai collapses before your eyes, let your color not change; though a deer leaps beside you, let not your eyes blink. Only then can you master advantage and peril, and await the enemy.
  9. Treatise on the Marquis of LiuSu Shi · Essays & MemorialsThose celebrated as heroes throughout antiquity possessed qualities surpassing ordinary men. When an ordinary man is insulted, he draws his sword and fights; this cannot be called true courage. The truly brave in this world are not startled when sudden peril confronts them, nor angered when unprovoked insult is heaped upon them, for what they harbor is immense and their vision stretches far.
  10. Treatise on Jia YiSu Shi · Essays & MemorialsWorthy men of old all possessed transcendent talents; when their gifts found no place in the world, all mourned for them, unaware that they themselves failed to manage their position well. Master Jia harbored grand ambitions but narrow tolerance, abundant talent but insufficient insight. It is not having talent that is difficult, but applying oneself with wisdom.
  11. Record of Stone Bell MountainSu Shi · Travel WritingCan one draw arbitrary conclusions on whether a thing exists without personal sight and hearing? Li Daoyuan's observation was likely the same as mine, yet lacked detail; gentlemen refuse to moor a small boat under sheer cliffs at night, so they never learned; while fishermen and boatmen know, yet lack the words to write.
  12. Letter to Grand Commandant Han of the Bureau of Military AffairsSu Zhe · Letters & PrefacesWriting is the outward form of internal spirit. Writing cannot be mastered merely by study, but spiritual vitality can be cultivated through experience. Mencius said: 'I excel at nourishing my vast, noble spirit.' Viewing his prose, vast and profound, filling Heaven and Earth, it matches the stature of his spirit.
  13. Record of the Pavilion of Supreme Delight in HuangzhouSu Zhe · Travel WritingWhen a scholar lives in this world, if he lacks inner peace, wherever he goes will bring distress; but if his heart is tranquil and free from external harm, wherever he turns will bring supreme joy.
  14. Record of the Ink PoolZeng Gong · Travel WritingWang Xizhi's calligraphy only reached perfection in his late years; his supreme mastery was achieved through dedicated perseverance, not bestowed by Heaven. If later generations cannot match him because they seek shortcuts without diligence, how negligent they are!
  15. Reply to Remonstrance Official SimaWang Anshi · Letters & PrefacesI humbly maintain: Receiving orders from the sovereign, deliberating laws in court and delivering them to magistrates is not usurping office; reviving policies of ancient sage-kings to foster benefits and eradicate abuses is not stirring trouble; managing wealth for the empire is not extortion; refuting fallacies and challenging flatterers is not rejecting advice. As for widespread murmurs and complaints, I foresaw them from the start.
  16. Postscript on Wu Daozi's PaintingsSu Shi · Letters & PrefacesPoetry reaching Du Fu, prose reaching Han Yu, painting reaching Wu Daozi—the consummate creative achievements of the realm are fulfilled. Bringing forth fresh originality from within strict rules, entrusting subtle truth beyond bold abandon—such is the outward blossom of brilliance filled with cosmic spirit within.
  17. Record of Master Yan's ShrineFan Zhongyan · Epitaphs & ElegiesCloud-wrapped mountains boundless and azure, surging river waters vast and deep; the noble spirit of Master Yan endures lofty as the mountains and everlasting as the waters!
  18. Letter to Remonstrator GaoOuyang Xiu · Letters & PrefacesThe paths of noble gentlemen and petty sycophants are far apart indeed. You, Excellency Remonstrator, holding office as imperial remonstrator, saw Fan Zhongyan unjustly demoted and spoke not a single word to defend him, but instead joined in persecuting him—caring nothing for state justice while selfishly shielding your own skin! This is why my heart aches with bitter grief!
  19. Letter in Reply to Xie MinshiSu Shi (Su Dongpo) · Letters & PrefacesI have read your letters, poems, rhapsodies, and prose closely. Great literature is like drifting clouds and flowing water: having no fixed mold at the outset, moving where it ought to move and stopping where it cannot but stop, naturally structured with manifold dynamic grace.

Classical Fiction

Narrative masterworks from Six Dynasties strange tales to epic Ming-Qing novels.2 works
  1. Popular Stories from the Capital · The Carved Jade GuanyinAnonymous (Song Storyteller) · Vernacular StoriesQu Xiuniang eloped with jade artisan Cui Ning, but was captured and beaten to death by the Prince of Xian'an. Her faithful ghost refused to disperse, living with Cui Ning as wife as before. When discovered, Xiuniang's ghost manifested in wrath, dragging the treacherous warden to the underworld—a love that defied death.
  2. Popular Stories · The Wrongful Execution of Cui Ning / Fifteen Strings of CashAnonymous (Song Storyteller) · Vernacular StoriesA single playful joke and fifteen strings of cash cost four human lives. A muddle-headed magistrate forced false confessions under torture, wrongfully beheading Cui Ning and Second Sister. Even when the true culprit Lou Ashu was unmasked and the wrong vindicated, dead bones could never return to life—a timeless warning against judicial negligence.

Fables & Lore

Philosophical fables, historical allusion narratives, and primordial mythology.9 works
  1. The Oil Seller's SkillOuyang Xiu · Satirical ParablesMastery holds no secret; it comes from practice repeated until it is second nature.
  2. Beating the Grass and Startling the SnakeZheng Wenbao · Satirical ParablesA guilty conscience trembles when others like it are punished.
  3. Honey on the Lips, a Sword in the BellySima Guang · Satirical ParablesSweet words may hide deadly intent; judge people by their deeds.
  4. Falling Behind Sun ShanFan Gongcheng · Satirical ParablesDelivering bad news with tact lets the listener keep their dignity.
  5. Please Step into the UrnSima Guang · Satirical ParablesThe cruel methods you devise for others may one day be turned on you.
  6. Dripping Water Wears Through StoneLuo Dajing · Satirical ParablesEven the smallest force, applied persistently, achieves remarkable results.
  7. Turning Pale at the Mention of a TigerCheng Hao and Cheng Yi · Satirical ParablesOnly knowledge gained through experience is true, deeply felt knowledge.
  8. Serving as the Tiger's Ghostly AccompliceLi Fang et al. · Satirical ParablesBecoming the accomplice of the power that harmed you is the saddest betrayal.
  9. Asking the Tiger for Its SkinLi Fang et al. · Satirical ParablesAsking someone to sacrifice their core interests is futile and dangerous.

Literary Criticism

Classical literary aesthetics, treatises on poetic craft, and critical commentaries.3 works
  1. Canglang Poetics · Discrimination of PoetryYan Yu · Poetry TalksPoetry is the chanting of emotion and innate nature. High Tang masters relied purely on intuitive inspiration, like the antelope hanging by its horns leaving no tracks on the ground. Thus their wondrous beauty is transparent and crystalline, beyond mechanical contrivance—like music in the air, color in appearance, moon in water, image in mirror: words end, but meaning is boundless.
  2. Canglang Poetics · The Laws of PoetryYan Yu · Poetry TalksLearning poetry has three requisites: Principle, Concrete Matters, and Conception. Applying effort has three paths: Reading, Refining, and Enlightening. The conception must be lofty, phrasing crafted, brushstrokes stable, and vitality robust.
  3. On WritingSu Shi · Rhetoric & StyleMy writing is like a spring gushing ten thousand measures of water, surging forth everywhere without choosing its ground. On level ground it flows surging and smooth, traversing a thousand li in a single day with ease. When winding against mountain boulders, it shapes itself to whatever it meets. All that can be known is: it flows whenever it ought to flow, and stops where it cannot but stop—and that is all.

Sayings & Idioms

Living Chinese linguistic heritage comprising idioms, proverbs, aphorisms, and couplets.41 works
  1. Unity of Heaven and HumanityZhang Zai · IdiomsThe philosophical ideal that heaven and humankind form one whole; harmony between people and nature.
  2. Grinding an Iron Pestle into a NeedleZhu Mu · IdiomsAn old woman grinds an iron rod into a needle, inspiring young Li Bai; persistence achieves the impossible.
  3. A Wild Goose's Tracks in the SnowSu Shi · IdiomsClaw prints left by a wild goose on snowy mud; faint traces of the past, and life's wandering course.
  4. Mountains upon Mountains, Rivers upon RiversLu You · IdiomsEndless ridges and winding streams; a tortuous path, or a predicament that seems to have no way out.
  5. Shady Willows and Bright FlowersLu You · IdiomsDark willows and bright blossoms open onto a new village; a sudden turn for the better after hardship.
  6. A Red Apricot Branch Over the WallYe Shaoweng · IdiomsOriginally a spring image of apricot blossoms spilling over a wall; later, a married woman's infidelity.
  7. Life Is But a DreamSu Shi · IdiomsLife is like a dream, brief and illusory; a sigh over the transience of human life.
  8. Flowers in a Mirror, Moon in the WaterYan Yu · IdiomsFlowers in a mirror and the moon in water; illusions beyond grasp, or ethereal, suggestive poetic imagery.
  9. The Path Winds Round the PeaksOuyang Xiu · IdiomsA trail winding around mountain peaks; a twisting path, or a situation taking a new and hopeful turn.
  10. When the Water Falls, the Rocks AppearSu Shi · IdiomsAs the river recedes the stones emerge; the truth finally comes to light.
  11. Having the Whole Bamboo in One's MindSu Shi · IdiomsBefore painting, the artist already sees the whole bamboo; having a well-thought-out plan and full confidence.
  12. Talent Worth Eight MeasuresShi Changtan · IdiomsXie Lingyun said Cao Zhi alone held eight of the world's ten measures of talent; extraordinary literary gifts.
  13. Swallowing Dates WholeBai Ting · IdiomsAccepting or learning something wholesale without understanding it.
  14. Adding Flowers to BrocadeWang Anshi · IdiomsMaking something already beautiful even better.
  15. Striving for Ever Greater PerfectionZhu Xi · IdiomsNever satisfied with good; always striving to make it better.
  16. Practice Makes PerfectOuyang Xiu · IdiomsSkill and ingenuity come from repeated practice.
  17. Opening the Door to See the MountainYan Yu · IdiomsComing straight to the point from the very beginning.
  18. Unprecedented and UnrepeatableXuanhe Painting Catalogue · IdiomsNever seen before and never to be seen again; utterly unique.
  19. A Thousand Ways and a Hundred SchemesZhu Xi · IdiomsTo try every possible means; to leave no stone unturned.
  20. Joy Beyond ExpectationSu Shi · IdiomsOverjoyed by an unexpected piece of good fortune.
  21. Heart at Ease, Spirit DelightedFan Zhongyan · IdiomsCarefree and joyful; a heart open and spirit refreshed.
  22. Cutting Nails and Slicing IronDaoyuan · IdiomsDecisive and resolute, like cutting through nails and iron.
  23. Never Tired of RereadingSu Shi · IdiomsNever tiresome even after a hundred readings; praises writing of lasting appeal.
  24. Showing No SignOuyang Xiu · IdiomsBetraying no emotion in voice or face; calm and composed.
  25. A Grain of Millet in the Vast SeaSu Shi · IdiomsA single grain of millet in the vast sea; utterly insignificant in the scheme of things.
  26. Point Against PointShi Daoyuan · IdiomsNeedle point against needle point; sharply opposed positions or tit-for-tat response.
  27. Upright and OpenZhu Xi · IdiomsUpright, honest and selfless in word and deed; acting openly without hidden schemes.
  28. Deceiving Oneself and OthersZhu Xi · IdiomsFooling oneself as well as others with what one knows to be untrue.
  29. Just as One WishesZhu Dunru · IdiomsEntirely to one's liking; perfectly satisfying.
  30. Head and Shoulders Above OthersOuyang Xiu · IdiomsRising above others in talent or status; standing out from the crowd.
  31. Open and AboveboardZhu Xi · IdiomsFrank, open-hearted and upright, with nothing to hide.
  32. Spitting Blood at OthersShi Puji · IdiomsSlandering others with fabricated accusations.
  33. Honeyed WordsZhu Xi · IdiomsSweet but insincere talk, often used to deceive.
  34. Feet Firmly on the GroundShao Bowen · IdiomsKeeping one's feet on solid ground; working in a practical, earnest way.
  35. Beating the Grass Startles the SnakeZheng Wenbao · IdiomsBeating the grass alerts the snake; a careless move that forewarns one's target.
  36. Great Talent Put to Petty UseLu You · IdiomsUsing great timber for small purposes; wasting a talented person on minor work.
  37. Honey on the Lips, a Sword in the BellySima Guang · IdiomsSweet words with a dagger hidden within; outwardly friendly but inwardly treacherous.
  38. Name Falls Below Sun ShanFan Gongcheng · IdiomsOne's name falls below Sun Shan, last on the list; a tactful way to say one failed an exam.
  39. Please Step into the UrnSima Guang · IdiomsPlease get into the urn; turning a person's own cruel method against him.
  40. Dripping Water Wears Through StoneLuo Dajing · IdiomsConstant dripping wears through stone; persistence overcomes great difficulty.
  41. Turning Pale at the Mention of TigersCheng Brothers · IdiomsBlanching at the mere mention of tigers; fear of something one has suffered from.