S5E03 | Be All That You Can Be
Saying: “To lay down the pen and take up the sword”
Pinyin: Tóu Bǐ Cóng Róng
Chinese: 投笔从戎
The story behind this Chinese Saying is a great one from Chinese history. The story of Tóu Bǐ Cóng Róng 投笔从戎 revolves around the esteemed Ban Family of historians. The patriarch was Ban Biao who co-wrote the Book of Han. Unfortunately, he passed away before completing this momentous work. His children Ban Gu and Ban Zhao completed the Book of Han. They had another sibling named Ban Chao who also toiled away as a historian.
In this episode, we'll look at the story of Ban Chao before we went on to serve the Han Dynasty out in the Western Regions of Xinjiang. He threw down his pen and in a fit of patriotism and yearning for glory, he joined the army. You can also apply it to anyone is puts their life on hold and joins up to fight for a cause, such as the invasion of one's country.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Tóu Bǐ Cóng Róng | 投笔从戎 | To throw down one's pen and give up a desk job to join the military |
| Tóu | 投 | Throw, fling or hurl |
| Bǐ | 笔 | A pen |
| Cóng | 从 | To join or be engaged in (among many other meanings) |
| Róng | 戎 | Military Affairs or a Military Campaign |
| Hàn Dynasty | 汉朝 | Dynasty that lasted 202 BC - 220 AD |
| Hàn Shū | 汉书 | Book of Hàn |
| Xī Hàn | 西汉 | Western Hàn Dynasty, that part from 202 BC to 9 AD |
| Liú Sòng Dynasty | 刘宋超 | Northern dynasty that lasted 420-479 AD |
| 班彪 | 3-54 AD, writer of Book of Han, father to Ban Gu, Ban Zhao and Ban Chao | |
| Bān Gù | 班固 | 32-92 AD, co-author of the Book fo Han |
| Bān Zhāo | 班昭 | 32-102, co-author of the Book of Han |
| Sīmǎ Tán | 司马谈 | 165-110 BC, Court historian and co-writer of the Records of the Grnd Historian. Father to Sima Qian |
| Sīmǎ Qiān | 司马迁 | 145-86 BC (c.) Also known as The Grand Historian, China's most famous and renowned historian |
| Xīnjiāng | 新疆 | Province in China's northwest |
| Bān Chāo | 班超 | 32-102, great military strategist and conquerer of China's northwest regions |
| Xiōngnú | 匈奴 | a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD |
| Fù Jièzǐ | 傅介子 | Carried out an assasination of the King of Loulan during the time of Hàn Emperor Zhāo in 77 BC that planted the China flag in Xīnjiāng for the first time。 He died in 65 BC |
| Zhāng Qiān | 张骞 | mission to the Western Regions, called for by Hàn Emperor Wǔ 汉武帝 led to eventual opening up of that part of Central Asia and the launching of the Silk Roads that did so much to change China and so much of Asia |
| Hàn Emperor Zhāo | 汉昭帝 | Han emperor from 87 to 74 BC. He was the son of the great Han Emperor Wu |
| Lóulán | 楼兰 | An ancient city known by many past names. It was located on the extreme eastern part of the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang |
| Luòyáng | 洛阳 | The "Eastern Capital" for many of China's ancient dynasties |
| Hónghú zhī zhì | 鸿鹄之志 | A Chinese Saying featured in Season 3 about a young man with great aspirations |
| Hāmì | 哈密 | City in northern Xinjiang |
| Bùrù hǔxué yān dé hǔzi | 不入虎穴焉得虎子 | You can’t catch the tiger’s cubs without entering the tiger’s lair….or Nothing ventured, nothing gained as we say in English….borrowing from the 14th century French proverb “Qui onques rien n’enprist riens n’achieva,” |
| chéngyǔ | 成语 | A Chinese Saying or Idiom |
| Bān Chāo Lièzhuàn | 班超列传 | Book of Later Han chapter from which we get this Chinese Saying. The Biography of Ban Chao. |
| Teacup Chéngyǔ Yánjiū Zhōngxīn | 成语研究中心 | The Teacup Media state of the art Chengyu Research Center |
