S6E04 | Sweating Buckets
Saying: “to sweat profusely”
Pinyin: Hàn Liú Jiā Bèi
Chinese: 汗流浃背
We've all been in this situation in our lives. Here's one for all seasons. Poor old Zhou Bo was caught ill-prepared when the emperor was grilling him. Enjoy this one, gifted to us by The Grand Historian himself, Sima Qian: Hàn Liú Jiā Bèi 汗流浃背. The weather doesn't need to be hot and humid to relate to this ancient classic.
Listen On Your Favorite Podcast Player
Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Hàn Liú Jiā Bèi | 汗流浃背 | Sweat streaming down and drenching one's back; soaked with sweat |
| Hàn | 汗 | sweat, perspiration |
| Liú | 流 | stream of water, something resembling a stream of water |
| Jiā | 浃 | soak |
| bèi | 背 | the back of the body or an object |
| Sīmǎ Qiān | 司马迁 | 145-86 BC, Han Dynasty historian, author of the Records of the Grand Historian (along with his father Sima Tan). He's known as the father of Chinese historiography |
| Chén Chéngxiàng Shìjiā | 陈丞相世家 | The chapter from the Recod of the Grand Historian called: Prime Minister Chén Píng 陈平 |
| Lǚ Clan Disturbance | 吕氏之乱 | Happened in 180 BC. After the reign of terror under Empress Lü ended upon her death, all the family members she filled the government with, were killed |
| Empress Lǚ - Lǚ Hòu | 吕后 | Empress consort to Han dynasty founder Han Gaozu. Lived 241-180 BC |
| Hàn Dynasty | 汉朝 | Chinese dynasty that ran 202 BC to 220 AD |
| Liú Bāng | 刘邦 | Founder of the Han Dynasty, lived 256-195 BC, reigned as Han Gaozu |
| Hàn Gāozǔ | 汉高祖 | See above |
| Xiàng Yǔ | 项羽 | 232-202 BC, known as the Hegemon King of Chu. Prominent warlord following the fall of the Qin Dynasty. Battled with Liu Bang for control of China |
| Chén Píng | 陈平 | Died 178 BC, Chinese politician who served as chancellor to Han Gaozu. He assisted Liu Bang in the defeat of his rival Xiang Yu |
| Emperor Huì of Hàn | 汉惠帝 | Emperor from 195-188 BC. He was a weak and incapable ruler and yielded to whatever his mother Empress Lü called for. She ruled the state as Empress Regent for this emperor. |
| Líu (刘) clan | 刘家族 | The family of Han Dynasty founder Liu Bang (Han Gaozu) |
| Zhōu Bó | 周勃 | Longtime supporter of Liu Bang who served as a general and helped defeat Xiang Yu during the Chu-Han Contention |
| Líu Héng | 刘恒 | Emperor Wen of Han, reigned 180-157 BC |
| Emperor Wén of Hàn | 汉文帝 | See above |
| Emperor Jǐng | 汉景帝 | Sixth Han Emperor, who reigned 157 to 141 BC |
| Emperor Wǔ | 汉武帝 | Han Emperor from 141 to 87 BC, considered one of the greatest emperors in Chinese imperial history |
| Teacup Chéngyǔ Yánjiū Zhōngxīn | Teacup 成语研究中心 | The headquartrers where Emma and the whole team of chengyu specialists live and work, toiling to produce this podcast program for all of you. |
