S4E02 | They Smilin' in Your Face | 口蜜腹剑
Saying: “A honey mouth and a dagger in the belly”
Pinyin: Kǒu fì Fù jiàn
Chinese: 口蜜腹剑
Remember that O'Jay's tune from 1972, "Backstabbers"? They must have had Tang Dynasty chancellor Li Linfu in mind. The story behind our Chinese Saying for this time tells the story of this 8th-century politician/official. All the time, they want to take your place, the backstabbers. Beware of those with a honey mouth and a dagger in their belly.
Don't forget, the Chinese terms from CSP episodes are all listed for you down below.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Kǒu Mì Fù Jiàn | 口蜜腹剑 | A Honey mouth and a dagger in the belly. Two-faced. Back-stabbing. Stay away from them. |
| Zīzhì Tōngjiàn | 资治通鉴 | Published in 1084, It is known by a few names, among them, "Historical Events Retold as a Mirror for Government.” It chronicled China's history from 403 to 959..the start of the Sixteen Kingdoms to the fall of the Later Zhou up to 960, the founding of the Song Dynasty |
| Yīngzōng | 宋英宗 | Song Emperor who reigned 1063-1067 |
| Sīmǎ Guāng | 司马光 | 1019-1086, historian, politician and literary great. Led the charge in the writing of the Zizhi Tongjian |
| kǒu | 口 | Mouth |
| Mì | 蜜 | Honey |
| Fù | 腹 | Belly |
| Jiàn | 剑 | A kind of two-edged sword |
| Táng Dynasty | 唐朝 | The Tang Dynasty 618-907 |
| Xuánzōng | 唐玄宗 | The Xuanzong Emperor (玄宗, not 宣宗) who reigned 713-756 |
| Kāiyuán Era | 开元年号 | The Kaiyuan era during the Tang Emperor Xuanzong's reign. Kaiyuan lasted from 713-741, some of the best years of thge whole dynasty |
| Lǐ Línfú | 李林甫 | Xuanzong's competent but vengeful, paranoid chancellor who served in this all-powerful position from 734-752 |
| nèitíng | 内廷 | the inner palace where the emperor lived |
| Ān Lùshān Rebellion | 安史之乱 | Violent rebellion in China that ran from 755 to 763. Also called the An-Shi Rebellion. |
| Cháng’ān | 长安 | The main capital of the Tang Government, located in present day Xian |
| chéngyǔ | 成语 | A Chinese Saying or idiom that usually has its roots in ancient or medieval history. The whole purpose of the CSP is to present them to you. |
