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越俎代庖 (yue4 zu3 dai4 pao2) Stay out of the kitchen
March 14, 2010, Sunday
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CHINESE speakers usually use the idiom "yue4 zu3 dai4 pao2" to describe anyone who exceeds his own authority and meddles in other's affairs.
The four Chinese characters in this idiom mean that an official in charge of sacrificial utensils goes into the kitchen to take over the job of the cook, who is responsible for preparing the sacrificial meals.
The idiom was first cited by a sage called Xu You, who declined the throne offered to him by a monarch.
According to the legend, Xu lived in seclusion near Mount Qishan a long, long time ago. As a man of high integrity, he was deeply loved by local people.
One day, the then monarch, Tang Yao, came to see Xu and said he wanted to offer his throne to the sage. Tang said: "It is meaningless to light a candle after the sun comes out, and it is ill-advised to water the field when it is raining.
"You are such a wise and highly gifted man. If you are willing to take over my job, our state will be better administered and will become more powerful and prosperous in the future."
Xu replied that he was like a small bird, which needed only a tiny nest on a branch of a tree. He himself was not of much use to the state and the throne was of little use to him.
"Your Majesty is doing a good job in running the state. Why should you ask me to replace you? Even if the cook is not making the sacrificial meals, the official in charge of the sacrificial utensils should not go into the kitchen and take over the chef's job."
After the conversation, Xu bid farewell to the monarch and went to work in the fields, as he did everyday.
Since then, "yue4 zu3 dai4 pao2" has been frequently quoted to describe the behavior of an officious person who takes over someone else's job, which is deemed by most Chinese to be inadvisable.
So the next time that someone wants to meddle in your affairs, as well as saying, "Mind your own business," you can say, "yue4 zu3 dai4 pao2" or "Please don't go into the kitchen and play the cook."
The four Chinese characters in this idiom mean that an official in charge of sacrificial utensils goes into the kitchen to take over the job of the cook, who is responsible for preparing the sacrificial meals.
The idiom was first cited by a sage called Xu You, who declined the throne offered to him by a monarch.
According to the legend, Xu lived in seclusion near Mount Qishan a long, long time ago. As a man of high integrity, he was deeply loved by local people.
One day, the then monarch, Tang Yao, came to see Xu and said he wanted to offer his throne to the sage. Tang said: "It is meaningless to light a candle after the sun comes out, and it is ill-advised to water the field when it is raining.
"You are such a wise and highly gifted man. If you are willing to take over my job, our state will be better administered and will become more powerful and prosperous in the future."
Xu replied that he was like a small bird, which needed only a tiny nest on a branch of a tree. He himself was not of much use to the state and the throne was of little use to him.
"Your Majesty is doing a good job in running the state. Why should you ask me to replace you? Even if the cook is not making the sacrificial meals, the official in charge of the sacrificial utensils should not go into the kitchen and take over the chef's job."
After the conversation, Xu bid farewell to the monarch and went to work in the fields, as he did everyday.
Since then, "yue4 zu3 dai4 pao2" has been frequently quoted to describe the behavior of an officious person who takes over someone else's job, which is deemed by most Chinese to be inadvisable.
So the next time that someone wants to meddle in your affairs, as well as saying, "Mind your own business," you can say, "yue4 zu3 dai4 pao2" or "Please don't go into the kitchen and play the cook."
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