S4E09 | Rejected! | 虎口余生
Saying: “to escape from the tiger’s mouth”
Pinyin: Hǔ Kǒu Yú Shēng
Chinese: 虎口余生
Laszlo dredges up another great one from China's ancient times. This one not only features a story from Zhuangzi's Second Book of the Dao (a.k.a. The Zhuangzi) but also stars the great Confucius himself. In this story from the 5th century BC, Confucius is taken on a wild and bumpy ride with the violent and course "Robber" Zhi 盗跖. After trying to convince "Robber" Zhi of the error in his ways, Confucius is given a major dressing down and his philosophy is utterly rejected, leaving The Great Sage with a feeling of Hǔ Kǒu Yú Shēng 虎口余生.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Zhuāngzǐ | 庄子 | 369-286 BC, also known as the Daoist philospher Zhuāng Zhōu, as well as the eponymous book The Zhuangzi (known as "The Second Book of the Dao". |
| Kǒngzǐ | 孔子 | Better known as the philospher and poet, Confucius (551-479 BC) |
| Kǒng Qiū | 孔丘 | Confucius's personal name |
| Lǔ | 鲁国 | Zhou Dynasty state located in southern Shandong province (south of Qi State) |
| Shandong | 山东 | Provionce on the north China coast |
| chéngyǔ | 成语 | A Chinese idiom or saying |
| Hǔ Kǒu Yú Shēng | 虎口余生 | To be saved from the tiger's mouth - have a narrow escape from death |
| hǔ | 虎 | A tiger |
| kǒu | 口 | a mouth or opening |
| Yú | 余 | remainder, surplus |
| Shēng | 生 | to give birth to, grow |
| Yúshēng | 余生 | To survive a disaster, remainder of one's life |
| Lǎozǐ | 老子 | c. 500 BC, reverent term of address for the so-called "father of Daoism", Li Er (李耳). Also the name for the eponymous book |
| Zá Piān | 杂篇 | The Miscellaneous Chapters, a section of The Zhuangzi |
| Liǔ Xiàjì | 柳下季 | A philospher, teacher and politician during the Spring and Autumn Period in China (720-621 BC) |
| Dào Zhí | 盗跖 | Robber Zhi, brother of Liu Xiaji |
| Dào | 盗 | A bandit or robber |
| Qí | 齐国 | A Zhou Dynasty state located in northern Shandong Province |
| Yán Huí | 颜回 | 521-481 BC, a disciple of Confucius |
| Zǐgòng | 子贡 | c. 520, another well-known disciple of Confucius |
| Tài Shān | 泰山 | Sacred mountain located in Shandong in Tai'an, near the capital of Jinan |
| King Wén | 周文王 | 1152-1056 BC, co-founder of the Zhou Dynasty, father of King Wu of Zhou |
| King Wǔ | 周武王 | c. 1043, first king of the Western Zhou Dynasty |
| Wú | 吴国 | An ancient state located in and around present day Jiangsu province |
| Yuè | 越国 | An ancient state located in and around present day Zhejiang province |
| Sòng | 宋国 | An ancient state located in and around present day eastern Henan province around Shangqiu |
| Wèi | 卫国 | An ancient state located in and around present day Henan and Hebei provinces |
| Jìn | 晋国 | An ancient state located in and around present day Shanxi province |
| Qín | 秦国 | An ancient state located in and around present day Shaanxi province |
| lǐ | 里 | (among other definitions) a traditional unit of length equivelant to 0.311 mile |
| Yáo | 尧 | A legendary sage king who lived c. 2200 BC |
| Shùn | 舜 | A legendary sage king who lived c. 2300 BC |
| King Tāng of Shāng | 商汤 | Legendary founder of the Shang Dynasty c.1646 |
| Zhōu | 周 | The Zhou Dynasty 1046-256 BC |
| Shén Nóng | 神农 | c. 2000 BC, The Divine Farmer, inventor of many useful things, including the discovery of tea |
| Yellow Emperor | 黄帝 | A mythological emperor of China who reigned 2697-2597 BC |
| Chī Yóu | 蚩尤 | A legendary tribal leader who was defeated and killed by The Yellow Emperor |
| Zhuōlù | 涿鹿 | a county in Hebei province near Zhangjiakou |
| King Zhòu of Shāng | 商纣王 | also known as Zhou Xin 纣辛, c. 1100, last king of the Shang Dyansty |
| Zǐ Lù | 子路 | 542-480 BC, a disciple of Confucius |
| Chén | 陈国 | A Zhou Dynasty state |
| Cài | 蔡国 | A Zhou Dynasty state |
| Táng Yáo | 唐尧 | See above Yáo |
| Yú Shùn | 虞舜 | See above Shun |
| Yǔ the Great | 大禹 | Legendary founder of the Xia Dynasty (c.21st-16th Century BC) |
| Yǒulǐ | 羑里 | An ancient place located in Henan Province |
| Bóyí | 伯夷 | Mythical hero from ancient times who helped Shun and Yu the Great tame the floods |
| Shūqí | 叔齐 | Brother of Boyi (see above) |
| Gū Zhú | 孤竹国 | An ancient Zhou vassal state located around Tangshan, Hebei Province |
| Mount Shǒuyáng | 首阳山 | A mountain located in Henan just south of Luoyang |
| Bào Jiāo | 鲍焦 | Zhou Dynasty hermit, dissatisfied with the politics of the day, he escaped into the mountains and forests, hugged a tree and died. |
| Jiè Zǐtuī | 介子推 | c. 7th C. BCE legendary selfless subject of Duke Wen of Jin, in whose honor the Qingming Festival is said to have been initiated |
| Duke Wén of Jìn | 晋文公 | 697-628 BC, Leader of Jin State and one of the Five Hegemons |
| Wěi Shēng | 尾生 | A legendary character who waited for his love under a bridge until he drowned in surging waters |
| Bǐ Gān | 比干 | Son of the Shang king Wen Ding, and an uncle of the last Shang king, the wicked Di Xin. He is immortalized as a Taoist deity The God of Wealth |
| Wǔ Zǐxū | 伍子胥 | A Western Zhou Dynasty general and politician of the Wu kingdom. He is remembered for his loyalty and as the "First Ancestor" of the Chinese family name "Wu" (伍) |
| chūchù | 出处 | The source of a quotation |
| Chéngyǔ Yánjiū Zhōngxīn | 成语研究中心 | The Chengyu Research Center located in the UK and headed up by the hard-working Emma |
