Category: Mandarin Chinese
Licking aphids
When out walking the dogs I passed a giant bamboo, and there was a deafening buzzing sound coming from it. I got closer, and the leaves of the thing were covere...
Aoguang, Dragon King of the Eastern Ocean
In Chinese cosmology, heaven is ruled by the Jade Emperor (玉帝 yù dì), the underworld by Yama, King of Hell (閻王 yán wáng), and the oceans by the Dragon...
Ladybirds and harlequins
English names: The seven spot ladybug (America), the seven spot ladybird (other English speaking countries)* Chinese name: 七星瓢蟲qī xīng piáo chóng (Lit: ‘seven s...
Evolution of the ‘dragon’ character
Evolution of the dragon character in Chinese, from Shang dynasty oracle bone script (about 3,500 years ago) through to the simplified character of the 1950s.
Dance like the phoenix, sing like the luan
鳳舞鸞歌（凤鸾）fèng wǔ luán gē Lit: Dance like the phoenix, sing like the luan, Fig. describes an outstanding performance (of singing and dancing) The Chinese phoenix ...
Pet dragons
The character 寵(宠) is a picture of a dragon under a roof, and originally meant to revere or honour (尊崇 zūn chóng) because if you have a dragon in your house you...
Bole judges a horse
Bole (伯樂 bó lè) was a legendary judge of horses, said to be the inventor of equine physiognomy (相馬 xiàng mǎ, evaluating a horse’s qualities from appearanc...