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Animal Proverbs: Don't Force That Bull To Drink

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IN THIS LESSON
ID: 4213 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 lesson, we're showing you three common proverbs related to bulls. They can be directly translated to "A bull in Beijing is still a bull", "A bull's head doesn't fit in a horse's mouth", and "Forcing a bull to drink water by pressing its head down". Do you know what they actually mean? Check out these proverbs and learn how to apply them to daily life!
Fri Jul 26 2019 | Joy, Joshua
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SIMPLIFIED PINYIN ENGLISH  
牛牵到北京还是牛 niúqiāndàoběijīngháishìniú A leopard cannot change its spots
牛头不对马嘴 niútóubùduìmǎzuǐ to be not on the same page
牛不喝水强按头 niúbùhēshuǐqiǎngàntóu to force one to do something against his will
环境 huánjìng environment; circumstances; surroundings
牛牵到北京还是牛。
Niú qiān dào Běijīng háishi Niú 。
A leopard cannot change its spots.
我们说一个人换了环境，但他的个性还是一样。
wǒmen shuō yī ge rén huàn le huánjìng ，dàn tāde gèxìng háishi yīyàng 。
We use this to describe people whose personality doesn't change, even if he's in a new environment.
所以我们可以形容这个女孩儿牛牵到北京还是牛
suǒyǐ wǒmen kěyǐ xíngróng zhège nǚháiēr niúqiāndàoběijīngháishìniú
So we can describe this girl as, " A leopard cannot change its spots."
我有一个朋友，他结婚前有很多女朋友，结婚后还是一样真是牛牵到北京还是牛。
wǒ yǒu yī ge péngyou ，tā jiéhūn qián yǒu hěnduō nǚpéngyou ，jiéhūn hòu háishi yīyàng zhēnshi niúqiāndàoběijīngháishìniú 。
I have a friend, he had lots of girlfriends before he was married and he still has lots of girlfriends after he got married. Old habits die hard.
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