ChinesePod

1 lit. would rather be a chicken's head than a phoenix's tail (idiom)
2 fig. to prefer to be a big fish in a small pond rather than a small fish in a big pond

宁左勿右

nìng zuǒ wù yòu

1 (of one's political views) to prefer left rather than right (idiom during the Cultural Revolution)

宁拆十座庙，不毁一桩婚

níng chāi shí zuò miào , bù huì yī zhuāng hūn

1 rather destroy ten temples than a single marriage (idiom)

Sample Sentences

能啊！里面介绍了各个佛寺、神社，透过照片我都能感受到那种远离尘嚣的宁静感，连路线都能事先规划呢！

néng ā ！lǐmiàn jièshào le gègè fócì 、shénshè ，tòuguò zhàopiàn wǒ dōu néng gǎnshòu dào nà zhǒng yuǎnlí chénxiāo de níngjìng gǎn ，lián lùxiàn dōu néng shìxiān guīhuà ne ！

Yes! In it there's an introduction of each of the Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, and through the photos you can feel the sense of silence far from the hustle and bustle. You can even plan your route ahead of time.

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我在美国还看过道德经的英译本呢！即使物质丰富，消费主义充斥，但对内心宁静的渴望却是中西一致、古今皆然啊。

wǒ zài Měiguó hái kàn guò dàodéjīng de yīngyìběn ne ！jíshǐ wùzhì fēngfù ，xiāofèi zhǔyì chōngchì ，dàn duì nèixīn níngjìng de kěwàng què shì zhōng xī yízhì 、gǔjīnjiērán ā 。

I've even seen an English translation of the Daodejing in the United States! Even if it is rife with materialism and consumerism, in both the East and the West people thirst for inner peace in the same way, the same now as they did in ancient times.

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生活水平提升自然是好的，老弟我是信奉进步二字的，内心宁静纯属个人，追求更多、更快、更好才是人性的本然。

shēnghuó shuǐpíng tíshēng zìrán shì hǎo de ，lǎodì wǒ shì xìnfèng jìnbù èr zì de ，nèixīn níngjìng chúnshǔ gèrén ，zhuīqiú gèng duō 、gèng kuài 、gèng hǎo cáishì rénxìng de běnrán 。

Naturally an improvement in living standards is good, I believe in the word progress, buddy. Inner peace is for the individual, asking for more, more quickly and better is the essence of being human.

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