He Bo (Lord He, River Lord or the River God) is the god of the Yellow River in Chinese mythology, originally named Feng Yi. Legend has it that Feng Yi tragically drowned while crossing the river, after which the Lord of Heaven appointed him as He Bo (Lord of the River) to oversee the…
Basic Information Chinese Idiom: 卧薪尝胆Pinyin: wò xīn cháng dǎnLiteral Meaning: Sleep on firewood and taste bitter gallbladder.Figurative Meaning: Endure hardships and humbly endure setbacks to encourage oneself, strive hard to achieve ambitions and avenge humiliation.
Basic Information Chinese Idiom: 危如累卵Pinyin: wēi rú lěi luǎnLiteral Meaning: As dangerous as eggs piled one on top of another.Figurative Meaning: A situation is extremely precarious and likely to collapse or fail at any moment. Extended Background & Usage Notes This ancient Chinese idiom uses a vivid visual metaphor. Stacking eggs is extremely unstable…
King Wu of Zhou (? – 1043 BCE) was the founder of the Western Zhou dynasty. His personal name was Ji Fa, and he was the second son of King Wen of Zhou. Because his elder brother, Bo Yikao, had been executed by the tyrannical King Zhou of Shang, Ji Fa became heir and…
King Wen of Zhou (c. 1152–1056 BCE) was the paramount leader of the Zhou people at the end of the Shang dynasty. His personal name was Ji Chang, and during the reign of the tyrannical King Zhou of Shang, he held the title “Western Count” (Western Lord or Xibo), ruling over the Zhou domain…
Ban Biao (3–54 CE) was a prominent historian of the Eastern Han dynasty. His courtesy name was Shupi, and he was a native of Anling, Fufeng Commandery (in present-day northeastern Xianyang, Shaanxi).
Originally titled Taishi Gong Shu (“Book of the Grand Historian”), the Shiji was compiled by Sima Qian (c. 145–c. 86 BCE) during the Western Han dynasty. It is China’s first comprehensive biographical universal history (jizhuanti tongshi), covering approximately three millennia – from the legendary Yellow Emperor to the reign of Emperor Wu of Han…