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Saturday, August 12, 2006

Todays Chinese Idiom (今天的成语)

Do you remember not being allowed to do something until you got permission from you parents? Life seemed so controlling, until you figured out that if you did it first, and then told your parents -- they couldn't do much about it, because the so called "damage" was already done. If this scenario describes you, than this idiom is for you!


先斩后奏 xiānzhan3hòuzòu

斩 - to execute
奏 - to advise or to submit a written statement ot a sovereign, to report。

In ancient Chinese law, criminals who were sentenced to death could only be executed with the approval of the sovereign。However, under special circumstances, local officials could have the criminal executed first and report to the ruler afterwards, hence the idiom 先斩后奏 xiānzhan3hòuzòu。

Metaphorical Meaning: to act first and report to one's superior afterwards。

Also Known As: 先行后闻 (xianānxínghòuwén) and 先斩后闻 (xianānzhan3 hòuwén)。

Example sentences:

要建立报告制度,重大事情, 下级必须先报告, 批准后才能实施,不能先斩后奏。
Yào jiànlì bàogào zhìdù, zhòngdà shìqing, xiàjí bìxū xiān bàogào, pīzhun3 hòu cáinéng shíshī, bùnéng xiānzhan3hòuzòu。

包拯坐镇开封府, 有先斩后奏的权力。
Bāo Zhěng zuòzhèn Kāifēng fu3, you3 xiānzhan3hòuzòu de quánlì。

小张气愤地说, "这也不批,那也不准,我们给他来个先斩后奏,看他怎么办!"
Xiao3 Zhāng qìfèn dì shuō, "zhè yě bù pī, nà yě bùzhun3, wo3men gěi tā lái gè xiānzhan3hòuzòu, kàn tā zěnme bàn。

5 Comments:

At 11:56 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

well done! That's a good description of this idiom.keep going

 
At 9:05 AM, Blogger D.A. said...

Marco-

Thanks for being a moderator of sorts for these idioms that I post up. You are more than welcome to help out with any other mistakes that I have.

What do you think of China killing the 50,000 dogs?

 
At 4:39 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

well, that's sort of usual things happening everyday in China. I am not surprised at all. I don't know if you have been to China or have spent some time(2 yrs +) there. I would say something like that definitely was or would not be a good thing. The only thing I want to mention is that to know more about a country or the people living in that country,thus enhancing democratic progresses in that country or minimizing unrational misunderstanding, the best approach to do it is to try to deeply understand how people think and behave and also why they are doing so but not to standarize everything among all the nations in the world. Also, constructive conversations between peoples of different nations will greatly help the progresses of global peace and harmony.

I disagree with dogkilling issue more than any other people.

 
At 11:24 AM, Blogger D.A. said...

Marco-

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. I can't help but wonder where you are from in China, and how you got the name Marco. Marco Polo? Keep in touch!

 
At 3:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I used to work with several Italians for a pharmaceutical company in Shanghai,China. They gave the name to me and I felt I can go with "Marco"( I was born like Marco :)). This name refers to Marco Polo , who came from Venice, which is physically similar to my hometown,Suzhou(Soochow). you know, a canal city, a city on the river.

I came here for graduate school. I am currently working on my PhD at School of Medicine, UC Irvine.

 

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