While learning Chinese, a foreigner indicates: "I do love your four-word proverbs and idioms. They are so succinct and expressive". To study Chinese well, it is essential to grasp some proverbs and idioms so that you can apply them, which is an excellent way to enhance your Chinese. And the HSK examination requires you to master the art of Chinese idioms. For instance, 对牛弹琴 (duìniútánqín) means to play the harp to a cow, which is a common idiom in Chinese. To use it correctly, you must understand its connotative meaning. Now let me tell you the classical allusion of 对牛弹琴(duìniútánqín).
During the Warring States Period, there was a musician named Gongming Yi, who played musical instruments very well. There were a great number of people fond of listening to him play, and respected him very much. One day, Gongming Yi saw a cow when he was having fun in the countryside. He thought, "Everybody compliments my music. Why don't I play some music for this cow?" He played a piece of elegant quaint music for the cow, but the cow just kept grazing the grass with its head down. He played another piece of joyful music, but the cow still kept its head down to graze the grass and totally ignored him. Gongming Yi showed off all his skills, but the cow still ignored him. Gongming Yi was so disappointed and started to question his ability. A passerby said to him, "It's not because your ability is bad. It is because the cow can not understand music at all".
Due to its limitations, the cow could not understand the beautiful music like humans could. However, the swanky musician tried his best to play for the cow, just like trying to tell something to somebody who can hardly understand. The idiom "对牛弹琴 (duìniútánqín)" is used to describe this sort of situation, or kind of person.
Learning Chinese is not that boring if you relate the idioms to their interesting classical allusions. So when you are faced with a Chinese idiom, just try to check out the story behind it and you will get fun from learning Chinese.
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