An idiom and two poems about hearing what hasn’t been said – 弦外之音 (xián wài zhī yīn)
I heard a speech recently that compared two poems, one in English by Shelley, one in Chinese by Liu Chenweng, to...
Classics
A Buddhist idiom about managing change 道高一尺 (Dào gāo yī chǐ)
Getting things done in China can be difficult. Someone in China once told me: "If you can get on in China,...
How to survive a compliment in China (捧杀 – Pěng shā)
Subtle nuances of language and behaviour are an important part of dealing with China, but often totally missed. Receiving or giving...
The six meanings of water in Chinese culture (水 Shuǐ)
The meaning of a simple word, water, in Chinese culture is complicated. Drawing on poems, idioms and China's philosophers, there are...
A Chinese idiom about making the right choice – 选择 (xuǎn zé)
The word for 'choose' in Chinese is 选择 (xuǎn zé). The traditional character for zé is 擇, and the bits that...
Modern China, Ancient Thinking – Wen Zi (文子 – Wén Zǐ), Xun Zi (荀子 – Xún Zǐ) and others
Much coverage of the Boao Forum in April 2018 the international press describes the meeting as "underwhelming", "under-delivering", "heard this all...
How to build momentum (造势 – Zào shì) according to Sun Tzu
I haven’t been to China for eight months. I am getting rusty – in language and dealing with 'Chinese' situations. It...