Home » Sunday » Now and Then
自相矛盾 (zi4 xiang1 mao2 dun4) - Spear and shield
By Zhang Ciyun |
July 20, 2008, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Chinese speakers tend to use the ancient weapon spear and shield to describe anything that's contradictory. Actually, now the Chinese phrase for "contradiction" is called mao dun or "spear and shield."
This may not be because spear is an offensive weapon and shield is a defensive weapon. Many believe that this phrase is derived from a very popular Chinese expression zi xiang mao dun or "attacking one's shield with his own spear."
Although it has been retold through many, many generations, the story behind this saying still remains one of the best liked tales in China.
Nearly 2,000 years ago, there was a man living in the State of Chu. One day, he went to a market to sell spears and shields - two most common weapons at that time.
When a small crowd gathered around the seller to look at his goods, the man decided to advertise his shields first.
He said: "Please look at my shields. They are certainly the strongest ones you can ever find in the world. Nothing can ever penetrate them."
Then some of the potential buyers came closer to have a careful examination of the shields, but they couldn't see anything special about them. So, no one decided to buy one.
The seller then became a little impatient and moved on to brag about his spears.
"Now you should all have a good look at my spears. They are the sharpest weapon that has ever been produced. So, no matter how firm a shield is, my spears will pierce through it as easily as punching a hole in a piece of paper with a new needle."
After listening to the seller's pitch, a man stepped forward and said: "You just told us that your shields are the strongest in the world and then you claim your spears are the sharpest. How about using your spears on your shields?"
The seller was unable to respond.
So today, instead of saying "you are contradicting yourself," Chinese will say "you are attacking your shield with your own spear."
This may not be because spear is an offensive weapon and shield is a defensive weapon. Many believe that this phrase is derived from a very popular Chinese expression zi xiang mao dun or "attacking one's shield with his own spear."
Although it has been retold through many, many generations, the story behind this saying still remains one of the best liked tales in China.
Nearly 2,000 years ago, there was a man living in the State of Chu. One day, he went to a market to sell spears and shields - two most common weapons at that time.
When a small crowd gathered around the seller to look at his goods, the man decided to advertise his shields first.
He said: "Please look at my shields. They are certainly the strongest ones you can ever find in the world. Nothing can ever penetrate them."
Then some of the potential buyers came closer to have a careful examination of the shields, but they couldn't see anything special about them. So, no one decided to buy one.
The seller then became a little impatient and moved on to brag about his spears.
"Now you should all have a good look at my spears. They are the sharpest weapon that has ever been produced. So, no matter how firm a shield is, my spears will pierce through it as easily as punching a hole in a piece of paper with a new needle."
After listening to the seller's pitch, a man stepped forward and said: "You just told us that your shields are the strongest in the world and then you claim your spears are the sharpest. How about using your spears on your shields?"
The seller was unable to respond.
So today, instead of saying "you are contradicting yourself," Chinese will say "you are attacking your shield with your own spear."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
