From back scratcher to lucky Buddhist scepter

从背部挠痒痒到幸运的佛教权杖。

What do you do if your back itches?

如果你的背部发痒，你会怎么做?

The Chinese made a wooden arm to solve this problem some 1,700 years ago.

大约 1700 年前，中国人制造了一个木手臂来解决这个问题。

It had a lovely name,“accomplish on your own”.

它有一个可爱的名字，”靠自己完成”后来，

Later it merged with a jade plank which was used by high officials to make notes when they met the emperor.

它与一块玉板合二为一，玉板是高官们见皇帝时用来做记录的新的“如意”。

The new one,named ru yi,which mean “everything goes well” in Chinese,represents power.

在中文里的意思是“一切顺利”，代表着权力。

The head,shaped like a glossy mushroom,and patterns of flowers,bats and ancient coins are carved on the handle.

头部，形状像一个光滑的蘑菇，和花卉，蝙蝠和古钱币的图案柄上有泥土。

These elements represent Goodwill in Chinese traditional culture.

这些元素代表中国传统文化中的亲善。

Therefore,it is used in Buddhism as a religious application.

因此，它在佛教中被用作宗教应用。

If you give it to your friends,it means that you wish them good luck.

如果你把它送给你的朋友，这意味着你祝他们好运。… Read the rest

Numbers,shu zi,have long represented hierarchy order and symbols of nature in China.

数字，在中国长期以来代表着等级秩序和自然的象征。

According to Chinese tradition,Dao produces One,One produces Two then Two produce Three,and Three produce all.

根据中国传统，道生一，一生二，二生三，三生所有。

Shu zi represents the basic order of the universe.

数字代表了宇宙的基本秩序。

The number of 3,5,6 and 9 have even more mysterious connotations in a classic Chinese works,the Book of Changes.

在中国古典著作《易经》中，3、5、6 和 9 这个数字甚至有更神秘的含义。

The five elements theory summarizes the relationship of five basic energies.

五行说概括了五种基本能量之间的关系。

Chinese also lay importance to the use of zhu zi in designing architectures.

中国人也很重视在建筑设计中使用数字。

Chinese are fond of the mysterious use of shu zi.

中国人喜欢神秘的数字用法。

While digital techniques are well-developed,people never stop trying to solve the puzzles.

尽管数字技术发展得很好，但人们从未停止尝试解决谜题。… Read the rest

A special kind of shell was collected and used as money by our ancestors.

我们的祖先收集了一种特殊的贝壳作为货币。

The Chinese character ‘bei’ was used to refer to the shape of the shell.

使用汉字“贝”指的是贝壳的形状。

Later,shells were no longer used as money.

后来，贝壳不再被用作货币。

The word ‘bao bei’ is now used to describe the things we cherish.

“贝贝”这个词现在用来形容我们所珍惜的东西。

Eventually,bao bei was not only used to describe goods but also people.

最后，宝贝仅被用来形容商品，还被用来形容人。

A child is his parents’ bao bei. Lovers also call each other bao bei.

孩子是父母的宝贝情侣们也互相称呼对方

Bao bei has become a term to address loved ones.

宝宝“宝贝”已经成为称呼亲人的一个术语。… Read the rest

In China,the word ‘stuff ’ is composed of two characters representing east and west.

在中国，“stuff”这个词由代表东方和西方的两个汉字组成。

When you put east and west together you get a dongxi.

当你把东方和西方放在一起时，你就得到了一个“东西”。

Long,long ago there was a well-educated ancient scholar who would like to ask why.

很久很久以前，有一个受过良好教育的古代学者，他想问为什么。

One day he met a friend in the street who was carrying a basket to buy some stuff.

有一天，他在街上遇到一个朋友提着一个篮子去买东西。

He wondered why he was buying dongxi,instead of south and north.

他不明白自己为什么要买东西，而不是南和北。

It turns out that in ancient China,wood stands for east,gold stands for west,fire stands for south,and water stands for north.

原来，在中国古代，木代表东方，金代表西方，火代表南方，水代表北方。

We can put wood and gold,not fire and water into a bamboo basket.

我们可以放木头和金子，不能放水火在竹筐。

So,people say they buy dongxi instead of south and north.

所以，人们说他们买东西，而不是南和北。

Thus,dongxi represents stuff.

因此，东西代表物质。… Read the rest

96 Bosom Buddy（知音） 作者：读书有三到我先到 https://www.bilibili.com/read/cv19235486/?spm_id_from=333.999.0.0 出处：

‘Bosom buddy’ called zhi yin in Chinese,refers to the friend who knows you best.

“知音”是指最了解你的朋友。

The ancient story of Boya and Ziqi describes how Chinese define zhi yin.

古老的伯牙和子期的故事描述了中国人如何定义“知音”。

Long,long ago,Boya,who was a master of guqin,a Chinese musical instrument met Ziqi,who was collecting firewood down a mountain.

很久很久以前，中国古琴大师伯牙遇到了下山拾柴火的子期。

While Boya was playing guqin,Ziqi said “I can hear the mountain singing and the water flowing in your music”.

伯牙弹奏古琴时，子期说:“我能听到山在歌唱，水在你的音乐中流淌。”

Ziqin was only a lumberjack he could tell what Boya wanted to express.

子期只是一个砍柴人，他能说出伯牙想要表达的意思。

When Ziqi died,Boya played his guqin for the last time in front of Ziqi’s tomb.

子期死后，伯牙在子期的墓前最后一次弹奏了古琴。

Afterwards,people used the quote about ‘high mountains and flowing water’ to describe friends who understand and appreciate each other.

后来，人们用“山高水长”来形容彼此理解、欣赏的朋友。

If someone in China says that you are his or her ‘zhi yin’,it means you are his or her best friend.

如果在中国有人说你是他或她的“知音”，意思是你是他或她最好的朋友。… Read the rest

‘Having vinegar’ means to be jealous,chi cu in China.

“吃醋”在中国意味着嫉妒。

The legend says that a minister was to marry his second wife,according to the order of the emperor.

传说有一个大臣根据皇帝的命令要娶妾。

His first wife was quite jealous.

他的妻子很嫉妒。

The emperor offered two choices for her: if she objected the marriage she should drink poison.

皇帝给了她两个选择:如果她反对这门婚事，她就喝毒药。

The woman willingly drank the poison offered by the emperor.

那女人心甘情愿地喝下了皇帝提供的毒药。

However,she didn’t die.

然而，她并没有死。

What she drank was vinegar,instead of poison.

因为喝的是醋，而不是毒药。

The emperor made the prank to test her attitude towards love.

皇帝做了这个恶作剧来测试她对爱情的态度。

From then on,chi cu has been related to jealousy and used to describe the jealousy between lovers.

从那以后，吃醋就和嫉妒联系在一起，用来形容恋人之间的嫉妒。… Read the rest

There is an interesting story laying behind Chinese characters like other languages,such as ma hu.

有一个有趣的故事隐藏在汉字像其他语言，如马虎。

A painter drew an animal which looked like a horse and a tiger.

画家画了一个看起来像马和老虎的动物。

He told his first son that it was a tiger.

他告诉大儿子那是只老虎。

The older son identified a horse as a tiger and killed it.

大儿子认出一匹马是老虎，就把它杀了。

He told his second son it was a horse.

他告诉二儿子那是匹马。

The younger boy identified a tiger as a horse and try to ride on it.

小男孩认出老虎是马，想骑在上面。

Therefore,his first son owed a horse to its master and his second son came within an inch of death.

因此，他的大儿子欠了主人一匹马，而他的第二个儿子离死亡只有一尺之遥。

From then on,ma hu has been used to describe carelessness.

从那时起，马虎就被用来形容粗心大意。… Read the rest

In china they are put together to represent a contradiction.

在中国，剑和盾被放在一起代表着矛盾。

Long,long ago a man was selling his spear and shield.

很久很久以前，有个人在卖他的矛和盾。

He said that his spear was the sharpest one and could cut through any shield.

他说他的矛是最锋利的，可以刺穿任何盾牌。

And then he said his shield was the toughest one and nothing could cut through it.

然后他说他的盾是最坚硬的，没有什么能穿透它。

But what would happen if the spear was used to stab the shield?

但是如果用矛来刺盾会发生什么呢?

The man couldn’t answer the question.

这个人无法回答这个问题。

The story tells us not to be caught in maodun.

故事告诉我们不要陷入矛盾。

Maodun describes the relationship between things on the opposite positions.

矛盾，描述的是事物在相对位置上的关系。… Read the rest