Animal Proverbs: Ant's Leg or Sparrow's Mouth?
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IN THIS LESSON
ID: 4515
Intermediate
Animal metaphors are prevalent in almost every language, but people from different cultures may regard the same animal differently. In Chinese proverbs, you will see a lot of animal metaphors to symbolize human actions. In this episode, we focus on the animal "sparrow".
Joy,Joshua
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| SIMPLIFIED | PINYIN | ENGLISH | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 麻雀虽小，五脏俱全 | máquèsuīxiǎo,wǔzàngjùquán | small but fully-equipped | |
| 宁做蚂蚁腿，不学麻雀嘴 | nìngzuòmǎyǐtuǐ,bùxuémǎquèzuǐ | Do more and talk less. | |
| 螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后 | tánglángbǔchán,huángquèzàihòu | pursuing the gain ahead but unaware of potential danger | |
| 小区 | xiǎoqū | community; neighborhood |
麻雀虽小，五脏俱全
máquèsuīxiǎo,wǔzàngjùquán 麻雀虽小，五脏俱全
Although a sparrow is tiny, it has all five vital organs.
中国的小区麻雀虽小，五脏俱全有学校有公园还有图书馆
Zhōngguó 中国de 的xiǎoqū 小区máquèsuīxiǎo,wǔzàngjùquán 麻雀虽小，五脏俱全yǒu 有xuéxiào 学校yǒu 有gōngyuán 公园háiyǒu 还有túshūguǎn 图书馆
Some communities in China are quite small, but they are equipped with all essential facilities. There're schools, parks, and libraries around.
便利店麻雀虽小，五脏俱全可以买东西打印或者是洗衣服
biànlìdiàn 便利店máquèsuīxiǎo,wǔzàngjùquán 麻雀虽小，五脏俱全kěyǐ 可以mǎi 买dōngxi 东西dǎyìn 打印huòzhě 或者shì 是xǐ 洗yīfu 衣服
Convenience stores are small but they have everything. You can buy groceries, print, or even do the laundry.
智能手机麻雀虽小，五脏俱全你可以打电话传信息还可以拍照
zhìnéngshǒujī 智能手机máquèsuīxiǎo,wǔzàngjùquán 麻雀虽小，五脏俱全nǐ 你kěyǐ 可以dǎdiànhuà 打电话chuán 传xìnxī 信息hái 还kěyǐ 可以pāizhào 拍照
A smartphone is small but it has every function you may need. You can make a call, text and also take pictures.
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