There are many different Chinese idioms out there that people use today in modern Chinese. "Dui Niu Tan Qin" literally means, "Playing the Zither for a Cow." It means that some people will just never understand or appreciate certain things.

This video concerns one of the stories from the very famous Chinese novel, "Journey to the West." It informs us from where the idiom, "to wolf down your food," originates.

The Chinese idiom, "San Xin Er Yi," literally means, "Three hearts, two thoughts." It can be used to describe someone who splits his energy between many things instead of focusing on one task at a time. The simple vocabulary in this video gives an example of "San Xin Er Yi."

This Chinese legend sheds light on the origin of the famous saying, "How you treat others is how you will be treated." It involves the famous and influential Chinese philosopher, Mencius, giving sage advice to a king during the Warring States period.

This idiom is used as a metaphor for the punishment of a person to alert others to correct their behavior.

Learn the story behind the saying, "To kill two birds with one stone."

Hear the story from which the saying, "Hun Shui Mo Yu" came about. It means to take advantage of a chaotic time or deliberately create confusion to obtain benefits.

Learn the story of Bole and the idiom derived from his tale.

Find out how a passage from Cao Pi inspired the saying "to draw cakes to allay hunger" (To comfort oneself with illusions).

This Chinese idiom advises people not to give up halfway through or leave something unfinished.

"Shou Zhu Dai Tu" means, "Sitting by a stump, waiting for a careless rabbit to hit the stump." Originally, it referred to the routineer in an ironic way. Later, the metaphor came to mean one does not take the initiative to work hard and wants to get a windfall.

The idiom "bu dong zhuang dong" is used to describe someone who pretends to know about something, but is, in fact, clueless. In this video, a man often "bu dong zhuang dong" in order to look smart. Unfortunately, he only adds to his embarrassment when he is found out.

Do you know whether ginger grows on the ground or in a tree? Unfortunately for the man in this video, neither does he.

This idiom literally means "to wield an axe in front of Lu Ban" and mocks someone who makes a fool of himself by showing off in front of an expert. It was coined by a Ming Dynasty scholar.

The idiom of "Bai Fa Bai Zhong" comes from a legend about an amazing archer in ancient China. See what he did to earn his place in the Chinese lexicon.

This story brings alive the Chinese idiom about contentment. It depicts how a small little bird that is not strikingly beautiful stays happy every day.

The first part of the story about China's Eight Taoist Immortals.

The second part of the story about China’s Eight Taoist Immortals.

This video explains the origin of the Chinese proverb "Ai Wu Ji Wu."

The story behind this idiom about deception comes from one of the most famous and fabled chapters in Chinese history, the much-dramatized rivalry between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang. After both generals helped to bring down the Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu divided China into 18 kingdoms, taking vast, fertile territory for himself and giving Liu Bang remote, mountainous land.

The story continues with Liu Bang plotting to seize the strategically-important Guanzhong area with a clever tactic of deception dubbed "To Secretly Cross at Chencang." After defeating Xiang Yu, Liu Bang went on to found the Han Dynasty.

Learn the story behind the idiom, "A third party benefits from a tussle."

A grizzly tale of a mysterious series of murders in Qing-era Guangdong gives us a saying which means "an absence of justice." This video explains the origins of the phrase and breaks down its meaning character by character.

This Eastern Han-era story of a principled man who turned down a duke's invitation is the origin of an expression which means "to flatter and suck up to."