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Ignorance and daring may overwhelm fear instincts
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IT’S quite true that anybody with a modicum of intelligence knows by instinct to be afraid of large, dangerous animals such as tigers.
But two common Chinese idioms tell us that there are two things in the world that can give even an unarmed person the courage to confront a tiger head-on.
The two magic weapons are firm determination and total ignorance.
One of the idioms is mingzhi shanyouhu, pianxiang hushanxing, or literally “clearly knowing there are tigers there, yet willfully going into the mountains.”
Figuratively, it means trying to achieve one’s goals by braving all dangers or difficulties. It may also mean that one should be determined to carry out a decision even when he knows it’s a wrong choice.
The saying comes from “Notes of the Thatched Abode of Close Observations” by Ji Yun (1724-1805), also known as Ji Xiaolan, who was an influential, eloquent scholar of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Many of his witty, humorous anecdotes have been adapted into a very popular TV series shown in China and neighboring regions.
The other Chinese idiom says chusheng niudu bupahu, which translates literally as “a newborn calf fears no tiger.”
This expression may sound a bit like the English proverb “fools rush in where angels fear to tread,” or phrases such as “they who know nothing, fear nothing” and “the more wit, the less courage.”
However, today, Chinese people often quote this newborn calf idiom in a more positive sense, describing how young, inexperienced people dare to do anything with little doubts or concerns.
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