Shen Yun Performing Arts
  • Om Shen Yun
    The Performance
    Er Shen Yun nytt for deg?
    Ni egenskaper ved Shen Yun
    Klassisk kinesisk dans
    Symfoniorkester
    Factsheet
    The Company
    Vår historie
    Life at Shen Yun
    Utfordringer vi står ovenfor
  • Artistene
  • Videoer
  • Siste nytt
    Siste nytt
    Nyheter
    Blog
    I media
  • Pressemeldinger
  • Ofte stilte spørsmål
  • Publikums reaksjoner
  • Lær mer Nyhetsbrev Søk
    Norsk
  • English
  • 中文正體
  • 中文简体
  • 日本語
  • 한국어
  • Česky
  • Deutsch
  • Español
  • Français
  • Indonesia
  • Italiano
  • Nederlands
  • Polski
  • Português
  • Latviski
  • Pусский
  • Română
  • Svenska
  • Việt
  • Melayu
  • עברית
  • Tickets & Info
    Meny
    Shen Yun Logo
    Billetter
    Siste nytt
    Meny
    • Om Shen Yun
      • Er Shen Yun nytt for deg? Ni egenskaper ved Shen Yun Vår historie Life at Shen Yun Shen Yun Factsheet Utfordringer vi står ovenfor Klassisk kinesisk dans Symfoniorkester
    • Artistene
    • Videoer
    • Siste nytt
      • Siste nytt Nyheter Blog I media
    • Pressemeldinger
    • Ofte stilte spørsmål
    • Publikums reaksjoner
    Shen Yun 9 Characteristics Link Image

    What Makes Us Unique?

    DISCOVER THE 9 CHARACTERISTICS
    • Lær mer
    • Nyhetsbrev
    • Søk
    Språk
    • English
    • 中文正體
    • 中文简体
    • 日本語
    • 한국어
    • Česky
    • Deutsch
    • Español
    • Français
    • Indonesia
    • Italiano
    • Nederlands
    • Polski
    • Português
    • Latviski
    • Pусский
    • Română
    • Svenska
    • Việt
    • Melayu
    • עברית
      Blog
      Back Blog > Be 80 Liters, Not a '250'

    Be 80 Liters, Not a '250'

    Flipping through a Chinese dictionary one day, I found a definition for pistachio that had nothing to do with the nut. In Chinese, if someone calls you a pistachio, they mean that you’re as happy as a clam.

    The Chinese language is filled with colorful idioms. These derive from popular folktales, local customs, historic episodes, and many other sources. Many are relatable to phrases in other languages, and it’s fascinating to see how different cultures express the same ideas in different ways.

    For example, in English we refer to a favorite person as the “apple of my eye,” but in Chinese the favorite person is the “pearl of my palm.” What in the West we mean by a “land of milk and honey,” Chinese call a “land of fish and rice” (and, indeed, Western cuisine is often sweeter than Chinese!). I guess this proves that “every turnip has its hole”—meaning to each his own.

    Measuring Up

    Now think hard. Who’s the most talented person you can think of? An artist, a chef, a mathematician, a famous athlete, or perhaps a dancer? And just how gifted is this prodigy when measured... in liters?

    It’s story time!

    The brilliant Three Kingdoms Period statesman Cao Cao (pronounced “tsaow tsaow”) fathered three sons, each impressive in his own way. The youngest of the trio was Cao Zhi (“tsaow jhr”).

    Cao Zhi had always been dad’s favorite in spite of many shortcomings. He was a heavy drinker, had poor self-discipline, and was terribly rash. Interestingly, he also happened to be a literary genius.

    On the other hand, firstborn Cao Pi (“tsaow pea”) was greedy for power and cared little about his brother. Long aware of the possibility that he would be passed over and not inherit his father’s power, he took advantage of every situation to oust little brother from favor.

    On the eve of Cao Cao’s death, after considerable deliberation, the aged statesman finally did bequeath power to his eldest. Still jealous and insecure, Cao Pi itched to get rid of his brother for good. He couldn’t do it directly though, as that would be somewhat frowned upon. So he came up with a ploy.

    After his father passed away, the younger Cao Zhi, in true Cao Zhi fashion, drank himself tipsy, and completely missed the funeral. Seeing his chance, Cao Pi hauled his brother into court and laid down the conditions of his punishment: Compose a poem in the time you take seven strides, or pay with your life. The topic? “Brotherhood.” Oh, and you can’t mention the word brother even once in the poem. Go!

    Cao Zhi, master of metaphor, then spouted these verses:

    The beans were boiled to make a soup

    And beanstalks fed the cauldron's flame

    The beans lamented as a group:

    You stalk, you know our root's the same,

    So why do you to torture stoop?

    Staggered no less by sentiment than awe, Cao Pi let little bro off.

    Pithy yet potent, “Quatrain of Seven Steps” became Cao Zhi’s most famous work. In time, Cao Zhi, who had written spectacular essays at age 10 and could recite over 10,000 lines of poetry by 20, became a representative poet of his time just like his statesmen-warlord dad. Throughout the dynasties till today, some two millennia later, both have been venerated as masters of the art.

    One scholar later wrote that if there were 100 liters of talent among men, 80 belonged to Cao Zhi (perhaps an ancient version of the Pareto principle’s 80/20 rule). This gave rise to the idiom “eighty liters of talent,” cái gāo bā dǒu (才高八斗), meaning someone who is extraordinarily talented.

    Terms of Talent

    Here are some other talent-related idioms, ordered from greater to lesser:

    “Celestial generals and troops” (天兵天將, tiān bīng tiān jiàng): invincible, superior forces.

    “Three heads and six arms” (三頭六臂, sān tóu liù bì): very resourceful, superhuman.

    “Crouching tiger, hidden dragon” (藏龍臥虎, cáng lóng wò hǔ): hidden talent.

    “Half-bottle of vinegar” (半瓶醋, bàn píng cù): half-baked, dilettante.

    “Not a drop of ink in him” (胸無點墨, xiōng wú diǎn mò): unlearned, not cultured.

    “Two hundred and fifty” (二百五, èr bǎi wǔ): ignorant, dope.

    Curious for more? More idiom stories coming soon!

    • Artist Perspectives
    • Historical Anecdotes
    • Tradisjonell kinesisk kultur
    • The Ancient Scholar
    • Virtue & Wisdom
    • Chinese Sayings
    • Chinese Poetry
    • By the Numbers
    Betty Thumb

    Betty Wang

    Contributing writer

    View all posts

    May 26, 2016

    RELATED CONTENT
    • Ancient Exam Thumb
      A+ With the Ancients
    • Header Costumes
      Consummate Couture
    • Libai Poetry
      From Poetry to Dance
    Comments
    verification

    Previous

    Sailing the Seven Seas

    Next

    Building Dreams, Climbing Mountains
    Most Recent
    Most Popular
    • All
    • Nyheter
    • Blog
    Vis mer
    Vis mer
    Vis mer

    Tags

    • Artist Perspectives
    • Historical Anecdotes
    • Tradisjonell kinesisk kultur
    • The Ancient Scholar
    • Virtue & Wisdom
    • Chinese Sayings
    • Chinese Poetry
    • By the Numbers
    Shen Yun logo golden
    Shen Yun logo golden

    Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world's premier classical Chinese dance and music company, established in New York in 2006. It performs classical Chinese dance, ethnic and folk dance, and story-based dance, with orchestral accompaniment and solo performers. For 5,000 years, divine culture flourished in the land of China. Through breathtaking music and dance, Shen Yun is reviving this glorious culture. Shen Yun, or 神韻, can be translated as: “The beauty of divine beings dancing.”

    Om oss
  • Er Shen Yun nytt for deg?
  • Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra
  • Life at Shen Yun
  • Shen Yun Factsheet
  • Utfordringer vi står ovenfor
  • Shen Yun & Spirituality
  • Møt artistene
  • Ofte stilte spørsmål
  • Videoer
  • Latest
  • Om Shen Yun
  • The Artists
  • Reviews
  • I media
  • Siste nytt
  • Featured
  • Nyheter
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • I media
  • Lær mer
  • Chinese Dance
  • Music
  • Vocal Music
  • Shen Yun Costumes
  • Digital Projection
  • Shen Yun Props
  • Stories and History
  • Shen Yun and Traditional Chinese Culture
  • Interact with us:
    Follow Us on Gan Jing World
    Sign Our Guestbook
    Get to Know More about Shen Yun
    on Our Streaming Platform
    Arts Proficiency Assessment Center
    Keepsakes and Premium Collections
    Inspired by Shen Yun
    Artist Fashion
    Shen Yun Performing Arts offisielle nettside Copyright ©2025 Shen Yun Performing Arts. Alle rettigheter forbeholdes.
    Kontakt oss Brukervilkår Personvern Sidekart