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Idiom Stories: 开天辟地(Kāitiānpìdì) To advance with giant strides

Mar. 23, 2015

Chuánshuō yuángŭ shíhou, tiān hé dì shì hé zài yìqĭ de, jiù xiàng yí gè jīdàn shì de.
传说             远古     时候, 天   和  地 是 合 在 一起 的,就 像    一 个 鸡蛋  似  的。


Shìjiè de kāichuàng rén Pángŭ jiù shì zài zhège jīdàn zhōng shēnghuó zhăngdà de,
世界  的   开创         人   盘古   就  是  在   这个  鸡蛋  中        生活        长大      的,


Jīngguò màncháng de yí wàn bā qiān nián, Pángŭ zài jīdàn zhōng kāishĭ kāitiānpīdì.
经过       漫长          的 一 万   八   千    年,盘古    在  鸡蛋  中       开始    开天劈地。


Jiéguŏ, dànqīng shàngshēng chéngwéi tiān, dànhuáng xiàchén chéngwéi dì.
结果, 蛋清        上升              成为       天, 蛋黄           下沉        成为     地。


Pángŭ dĭngtiānlìdì, tā búduàn zhănggāo, tiān hé dì yĕ búduàn fēnkāi,
盘古    顶天立地, 他 不断      长高,       天  和  地 也  不断     分开,


Zhèyàng yòu guò le yī wàn bā qiān nián, tiān zhōngyú shēng de hĕngāo, dì yĕ biàn dé hĕnhòu,
这样        又   过   了 一 万   八  千      年,天     终于       升    得    很高, 地 也  变   得  很厚,


Pángŭ kàndào zìjĭ kāitiānpìdì de rènwù yĭjīng wánchéng, biàn lìjié dăodì ér sĭ.
盘古    看到     自己 开天辟地  的  任务   已经    完成,     便   力竭 倒地 而 死。


English Translation
This is a Chinese legend about the creation of the world. In ancient times, the sky and the earth were combined just like an egg. The founder of the world, Pangu, lived and grew up in the egg. After 18 thousand years, he began to separate the sky and the earth, so the egg white became the sky and the egg yolk became the earth. After another 18 thousand years, the sky and the earth were separated completely. Seeing that his mission was finished, Pangu died of exhaustion. Now people usually use the idiom to describe something advancing with giant strides.

Example
Yào zuò chū yì fān kāitiānpīdì de wĕiyè, jiù dĕi shígān.
要   做    出  一 番   开天劈地 的  伟业,就 得   实干。
If you want to do a great work, you must work harder and harder.

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