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跛鳖千里 (bo2 bie1 qian1 li3) - A lame tortoise triumphs at last
By Zhang Ciyun |
October 12, 2008, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
In English, there is an often quoted fable about a race between a tortoise and a hare but there is a Chinese version that pits a lame tortoise against six steeds.
The Chinese story has also inspired a popular idiom, (bo2 bie1 qian1 li3), or "a lame tortoise goes a thousand miles,?praising perseverance and unremitting struggle towards a set goal.
The story goes like this:
A long, long time ago, there were six steeds living in a mountainous area in central China. One day, the horses decided to leave their home to look for a better place to live.
But after walking into an expanse of woods with no obvious road ahead, the six could not decide where to go. Suddenly, they heard a greeting "Hello, good morning" uttered by a crippled tortoise inching his way along a winding path.
"Where are you going?" one of the horses asked. "I have been told there's a paradise for animals in the south and I'm now on my way there," the tortoise replied.
"Do you know where exactly it is?" asked the horses.
"Not exactly," the tortoise said. "It's about one or two thousand miles away."
"Traveling at such a slow pace, do you think you can ever reach there?" one of the steeds asked.
"Yes, as long as I keep on going,?the tortoise answered. After the conversation, the tortoise continued his long march while the six steeds engaged in a heated discussion about how they could find a shortcut to the paradise.
A red horse suggested they go south. But a grey one wanted to head west. A black horse said east seemed most promising. The remaining three still couldn't make up their mind. So, the debate went on and on. Meanwhile, the tortoise kept heading south.
After three years, it found the legendary paradise and settled down. But in paradise, the tortoise did not find the six steeds it met in the woods.
Each morning, it climbed to the top of a hill and looked to the north, hoping to spot the horses. They never appeared.
Today, this expression is used to encourage people in poor conditions to resolutely pursue their goals.
The Chinese story has also inspired a popular idiom, (bo2 bie1 qian1 li3), or "a lame tortoise goes a thousand miles,?praising perseverance and unremitting struggle towards a set goal.
The story goes like this:
A long, long time ago, there were six steeds living in a mountainous area in central China. One day, the horses decided to leave their home to look for a better place to live.
But after walking into an expanse of woods with no obvious road ahead, the six could not decide where to go. Suddenly, they heard a greeting "Hello, good morning" uttered by a crippled tortoise inching his way along a winding path.
"Where are you going?" one of the horses asked. "I have been told there's a paradise for animals in the south and I'm now on my way there," the tortoise replied.
"Do you know where exactly it is?" asked the horses.
"Not exactly," the tortoise said. "It's about one or two thousand miles away."
"Traveling at such a slow pace, do you think you can ever reach there?" one of the steeds asked.
"Yes, as long as I keep on going,?the tortoise answered. After the conversation, the tortoise continued his long march while the six steeds engaged in a heated discussion about how they could find a shortcut to the paradise.
A red horse suggested they go south. But a grey one wanted to head west. A black horse said east seemed most promising. The remaining three still couldn't make up their mind. So, the debate went on and on. Meanwhile, the tortoise kept heading south.
After three years, it found the legendary paradise and settled down. But in paradise, the tortoise did not find the six steeds it met in the woods.
Each morning, it climbed to the top of a hill and looked to the north, hoping to spot the horses. They never appeared.
Today, this expression is used to encourage people in poor conditions to resolutely pursue their goals.
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