ChinesePod

1 Jiang Ziya is fishing, if you want take the hook (idiom, refers to early sage 姜子牙 fishing with no bait and the hook above the water); to put one's head in the noose

太平盛世

tài píng shèng shì

1 peace and prosperity (idiom)

太阳从西边出来

tài yáng cóng xī biān chū lái

1 lit. the sun rises in the west (idiom)
2 fig. hell freezes over
3 pigs can fly

姜太公钓鱼，愿者上钩

Jiāng tài gōng diào yú , yuàn zhě shàng gōu

1 Jiang Ziya is fishing, if you want it, take the hook (idiom, refers to early sage 姜子牙 fishing with no bait and the hook above the water); to put one's head in the noose

Sample Sentences

哦，就是那个太监。

ò ，jiù shì nà ge tàijiàn 。

Oh, that eunuch.

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太监怎么了，在当时他可是四品的官。

tàijiàn zěnmele ，zài dāngshí tā kě shì sì pǐn de guān 。

So what if he was a eunuch. At the time he was a fourth level official.

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啊哟，老板最喜欢他这种人。叫员工卖命、帮公司省钱。完全就是一个太监！

āyō ，lǎobǎn zuì xǐhuan tā zhèzhǒng rén 。jiào yuángōng màimìng 、bāng gōngsī shěngqián 。wánquán jiùshì yī ge tàijiàn ！

Yikes, the boss likes that kind of person the best. Working the employees to death helps the company save money. He's a complete eunuch.

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是。可是一下子从天堂掉进了地狱，那个滋味很不好受。那段日子过得很悲惨，因为我是太监，大家都看不起我。当苦力都没人要，还要处处遭受白眼。

shì 。kěshì yīxiàzi cóng tiāntáng diàojìn le dìyù ，nàge zīwèi hěn bù hǎoshòu 。nà duàn rìzi guò de hěn bēicǎn ，yīnwèi wǒ shì tàijiàn ，dàjiā dōu kànbuqǐ wǒ 。dāng kǔlì dōu méi rén yào ，hái yào chùchù zāoshòu báiyǎn 。

That's right. In a moment, heaven had fallen into hell and it wasn't easy to stomach. Those days were really miserable. Because I was a eunuch, everyone looked down on me. Nobody even wanted me as a coolie and once again, I was looked down upon by others in every way.

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的的确确您也做到了。您从一个什么都不懂、处处受人欺负的小孩，逐渐走到了权利的中心，成为了掌握大权的太监总管。那时候您一定很风光吧？

dídíquèquè nín yě zuòdào le 。nín cóng yī ge shénme dōu bù dǒng 、chùchù shòu rén qīfu de xiǎoháir ，zhújiàn zǒudào le quánlì de zhōngxīn ，chéngwéi le zhǎngwò dàquán de tàijiàn zǒngguǎn 。nà shíhou nín yīdìng hěn fēngguang ba ？

But ultimately, you were successful. You came from absolutely nothing and and as a child were picked on in every way. Yet, you gradually moved your way into a position of privilege and became a person of real authority; the chief eunuch. At that time you must have been truly respected.

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是。那是我过去在宫里当太监的时候的名字。

shì 。nà shì wǒ guòqù zài gōng lǐ dāng tàijiàn de shíhou de míngzi 。

That's right. That was my name when I was a eunuch in the imperial palace.

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吵什么吵？现在当不当太监已经由不得你了。给我好好听话，机灵点儿。伺候得好呢，金银珠宝、锦衣玉食那是少不了的。要不然，哪天脑袋搬家了都不知道。

chāo shénme chāo ？xiànzài dāng bù dāng tàijiàn yǐjīng yóubude nǐ le 。gěi wǒ hǎohāo tīnghuà ，jīling diǎnr 。cìhou de hǎo ne ，jīnyínzhūbǎo 、jǐnyīyùshí nà shì shǎobùliǎo de 。yàoburán ，nǎ tiān nǎodàibānjiā le dōu bù zhīdào 。

What are you making such a racket over? It's already not up to you whether you'll be a eunuch. Do what I say, and be smart. If you take good care of the Emperor, you'll have all the gold, silver, pearls, gems, fine clothes and delicacies you could possibly want. Otherwise, you'll never know when your head might roll!

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太监？我不要当太监。当了太监就不能讨老婆了。

tàijiàn ？wǒ bù yào dāng tàijiàn 。dāng le tàijiàn jiù bùnéng tǎo lǎopó le 。

A eunuch? I don't want to be a eunuch! Once you're a eunuch you can't get a wife!

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别老想着玩儿，你可是去伺候皇上的。从今往后，皇上和各宫的娘娘们就是你的主子，你就是奴才，宫里的太监。

bié lǎo xiǎngzhe wánr ，nǐ kěshì qù cìhou huángshang de 。cóng jīn wǎnghòu ，huángshang hé gè gōng de niángniang men jiùshì nǐ de zhǔzi ，nǐ jiùshì núcai ，gōng lǐ de tàijiàn 。

Don't always be thinking about playing around. You're going to care for the Emperor. From this day on, the Emperor and the imperial concubines are your masters. You're a slave, a palace eunuch.

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