#chengyuchallenge

[anthro-lang]

Day 3: Cheng Yu Challenge // 成语挑战

天壤之别

tiān rǎng zhī bié

worlds apart, literally as different as sky and earth (emphasis on the extreme difference)

差别很大，强调差别的距离

HSK: -

天 // tiān // sky

攘 // rǎng // earth, soil

之 // zhī 

别 // bié // separate

为什么日语和汉语文字非常接近但是发音却是天壤之别？

"Why are Japanese and Chinese radicals so similar, yet pronunciation is worlds apart?” OP claims no one really answered their question seriously, and I can only speculate they’re referring to the top comment, which peppers the explanation with text emoticons and colloquialisms. Apparently, a thousand years ago, Japan wanted to get close to China and started learning their script. They found the script nice and adequate for their purposes, and so adopted the radicals into their existing pronunciation and meaning systems. TL;DR Japan took the radicals but not the pronunciation, if you trust a stranger on the internet!

[anthro-lang]

Day 4: Cheng Yu Challenge // 成语挑战

怨天尤人

yuàn tiān yóu rén

to blame heaven and earth (implied, to blame everyone except yourself)

遇到挫折，只抱怨上天，责怪别人

HSK: -

怨 // yuàn // hatred

天 // tiān // sky (in this context, god or the heavens)

尤 // yóu // especially (see 尤其)

人 // rén // people, man

不怨天，不尤人，下学而上达，知我者其天乎！

(loosely translated): “do not blame the sky (god), do not blame others, set to work cultivating yourself and understand god/heaven thereby.” 怨天尤人 has its roots in this Confucian teaching, and encapsulates a lot of key elements of Confucian thought. One of which, strongly emphasised here, is the importance of self-cultivation, of turning your setbacks and failures into diligence and self-improvement. It is learning and education that open your eyes to the virtues of the heavens, and a wiser understanding of god. 

[anthro-lang]

Day 1: Cheng Yu Challenge // 成语挑战

锦上添花

jǐn shàng tiān huā

to make something perfect even more perfect

好上加好，美上添美

HSK: 6

锦 // jǐn // embroidered brocade or tapestry

上 // shàng / above, on top

添 // tiān // to add

花 // huā // flower(s)

“爱情不是人生的全部，它是锦上添花，不是救命稻草。“

From a question thread on 知乎 discussing how to understand this sentence. Love is seen as 锦上添花, i.e. making companionship, or someone’s already comfortable life even more perfect than it is. I do think this sentence, taken out of its context, does exemplify how open to interpretation 成语 & idiomatic expressions can be. The top comment interprets 锦上添花, in that it’s a cautionary tale about not putting all your eggs in a basket. Love should not be seen as a life goal you should chase, but since it will inevitably fade away, should be taken as the cherry on top of the cake. “爱自己才能爱别人” - so long as you love yourself, you can love others, and love just serves to make your life even more beautiful than it already is.