Hello readers!

Today I’d like to share a couple of my favorite idioms in Chinese.

先斩后奏 xian1zhan3hou4zou4 – act first and report afterwards.  This refers to when somebody has done something without asking for permission first.  It’s something like “shoot first, ask questions later.”

破釜沉舟 po4fu2chen2zhou1 – Break the Pots and Sink the Boats.  This refers to a story where a general told his troops upon reaching land that they had to break their pots and sink their boats.  This way, the soldiers would be fighting to eat.  This phrase is used to refer to an act where somebody removes all factors/obstacles that would allow them to stay where they are.

山外有山 shan1wai4you3shan1 – There are mountains beyond the mountains.  This can be used to mean “there’s always something better,” or “nothing can be perfect.”  I prefer the latter meaning, as I don’t interpret the phrase to necessarily mean “the grass is always greener on the other side.”  I usually interpret it as “well although there are things beyond what you’re doing, that fact is irrelevant.”

对牛弹琴 dui4niu2tan2qin2 – Playing a Zither to a Cow.  This is one of the first proverbs I learned, and is almost entirely equivalent to “[to cast] pearls before swine.  Stay tuned for more proverbs!