In case you missed it: this holiday season Chinosity celebrated the 12 Days of Chengyu. Every day through our newsletter, Instagram, and Facebook, we learned a new chengyu–a traditional Chinese expression.
If you missed out, don't fret! Join us now to go over the 12 chengyu we learned this holiday season.
Our amazing illustrations were done by @four_chars, make sure to check them out!
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1 Yǎn jiàn wéi shí
眼见为实
Meaning: To believe in what can be seen
Do you believe in Santa? How do you know if Santa is real if you have never met him? -
2 Mín yǐ shí wéi tiān
民以食为天
Meaning: People view food as their heaven
This five-character cheng yu is a classical way of saying there is nothing more important than food. All of the food for Christmas? And then Christmas leftovers? Yes please! -
3 Huà shé tiān zú
画蛇添足
Meaning: To draw legs on a snake (i.e. to overdo something)
This Chinese saying is perfect for artists or chefs. It suggests that in the effort to improve something that is already perfect, we might add something that makes it worse! -
4 Qián rén zāi shù, hòu rén chéng liáng
前人栽树，后人乘凉
Meaning: The predecessors plant the tree, the descendants cool off in the shade.
Did you know it takes more than 8 years to grow a Christmas tree? It is only thanks to the efforts of workers who planted trees 10 years ago that we get to enjoy Christmas trees during the holidays this year.
Or, we can use this cheng yu to remember that we are able to enjoy the holidays because of all the hard work our parents and families do over the year. -
5 Xīn xǐ ruò kuáng
欣喜若狂
Meaning: Extremely happy and surprised (in a good way!)
The perfect word to describe getting the exact Christmas gift you wanted all along. -
6 Sài wēng shī mǎ
塞翁失馬
Meaning: The old man lost his horse, but it all turned out for the best
A lot of difficult things that happened in 2020 could be blessings in disguise. For example, working and learning from home gave us more quality family time.
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