A Chinese-English Dictionary of Enigmatic Folk Similes (Xiehouyu) by John S. Rohsenow pdf epub fb2

On the eve of Richard Nixon's historic visit to the People's Republic of China, Chairman Mao Zedong was quoted by American writer Edgar Snow as referring to himself as "a lone monk walking in the world with a leaky umbrella," a remark taken in the West as a gesture of humility. Mao's comment was in reality part of a popular Chinese folk saying, the conclusion of which--"having neither hair nor [a view of] heaven"--carries a meaning far different from that supposed. Thousands of these enigmatic folk similes are in common use throughout China today. Found in literature from the seventh century on, they experienced a revival during Mao's Cultural Revolution. As they have become proverbial through years of use, their conclusions are often left unspoken, much as an English speaker might say "Speak of the devil" without the concluding line "and he shall appear." John Rohsenow has compiled some 4,000 of these xiehouyu ("arrested-ending-sayings") to offer English readers the first full compilation in Western literature of these witty and often humorous proverbial sayings. Since these folk idioms have tended to be translated literally--and inadequately--a presentation of the complete similes now offers translators a valuable tool for correctly interpreting Chinese thoughts and ideas. The entries are arranged alphabetically by the standard pinyin romanization of their first character. Entries involving puns are so indicated.