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鹤立鸡群 (hèlìjīqún) A Crane Standing Among Chickens

Mar. 16, 2015

Jìncháo shí,  yŏu yí gè rén jiào Jī Shào. Tā zhăng dé yíbiăotángtáng, érqiĕ cáinéng chūzhòng, dānrèn
晋朝      时,有  一 个 人   叫  嵇  绍。他    长    得       仪表堂堂,  而且    才能       出众,   担任
jìnhuìdì de shìcóngguān.
晋惠帝  的   侍从官。
Ji Shao, an aide to Emperor Jin Hui during the Jin Dynasty, was handsome and talented.

Yí cì,   yŏu rén qīnfàn jīngchéng. Jī Shào gēnsuí huìdì qiánqù zhēngtăo pànluàn, búliào dă le bàizhàng,
一次,有   人    侵犯      京城。 嵇  绍    跟随    惠帝    前去    征讨       叛乱,   不料  打 了   败仗,
suíxíng de guānyuán, jiànglĭng yĭjí   shìwèi sĭshāng wúshù, hái yŏu hĕnduō rén táopăo le, zhíyŏu Jī Shào
随行     的     官员、    将领     以及   侍卫    死伤   无数,还   有    很多    人    逃跑  了,只有   嵇  绍
băohùzhe huìdì, shĭzhōng bù  lí zuŏyòu.
保护着      惠帝, 始终     不  离  左右。
Once, when his country was being invaded, he accompanied Emperor Jin Hui in defending the country, but, unfortunately, they lost the war. Most of the soldiers died or deserted, but Ji Shao stayed with the emperor to protect him.

Kàn dào Jī Shào fènyŏng shādí de qíngjĭng rénmen dōu hĕn yŏu gănchù, shuō:”Jī Shào jiù xàng yì zhī
看    到  嵇  绍      奋勇    杀敌  的   情景      人们     都   很   有     感触,  说:“嵇  绍  就    像  一 只 鹤
zhànlì zài jīqún zhōng yí yàng, yíbiăo chūzhòng, qìdù bùfán.”
站立   在  鸡群    中   一   样, 仪表       出众,  气度  不凡。”
Upon seeing this, the people were moved and said:”Ji Shao is like a crane standing among chickens, preeminent and superior.”

This idiom is currently used to describe prominent people with good looks and impressive abilities among a crowd.

Example:

Luó xī tè zài nà gè dìfang xiănshì bù chū  zìjĭ  de cáinéng. Tāmen bù dŏng dé shăngshí tā hé tā de
罗  西 特 在 那  个  地方   显示   不   出  自己 的  才能。  他们   不   懂  得    赏识   他  和  他  的
gōngzuò. Qíshí tā dānrèn nà yì zhíwù,   cáilì chuòchuòyŏuyú, yŏu rú hèlìjīqún.
工作。     其实  他  担任   那 一  职务,才力     绰绰有余, 有    如  鹤立鸡群。

Luo Xi Te was unable to really shine at that place. They didn’t know how to appreciate him, or the work he did. He was really just too good for the job. In fact, he was a crane standing among chickens.

Chinese Idiom

Chinese Culture

HSK Test

General Chinese (Beginner Level) 

General Chinese (Intermediate Level) 

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it is so short

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