Chapter 17 The Atomic Bomb and the Drift

Dear Xiaowen: The kind of goose I told you last time is a domestic goose. Regarding the types of goose in English and Chinese, you should pay attention to: goose domestic goose is also called goose Wild goose is also called wild goose. "Yan" is another kind. It is called swallow in English. Don't confuse it with "wild goose". wild swan wild swan also called swan Wild geese and swans can fly, and they fly in an orderly manner, in the shape of an adult, which is the V shape in English.These two lines are called "flying geese".In Chinese, "Yan Xing Zha Yi" means death of a brother.

The ancients used geese and pigeons to send messages, and folded the letters into small strips and tied them to their claws. This is called "passing letters with geese's feet".If there is no news or letter, it is called "Yan Yao Yu Shen".To describe a woman as beautiful is called "Sinking Fish and Wild Goose" (because she is so beautiful, both fish and wild goose think they are ugly and are embarrassed to look at her).In fact, this kind of description is very stupid. Dropping an atomic bomb can also make fish sink and geese fall! In English, wild-goose chase (chasing wild geese) means effort in vain.

In ancient China, when people wrote poems, geese were often mentioned.There is a song "March of the Army in Ancient Times" written by Li Qi - "Climbing the mountain to watch the beacon fire in the daytime, drinking horses and crossing the river at dusk. Pedestrians fight against the wind and sand, and the princess's pipa is full of complaints. There is no city for camping thousands of miles, and the rain and snow even reach the desert. Hu Yan Mourning flies every night, and Hu'er's tears fall. I heard that the Yumen Gate is still covered, so I should take my life away. Every year, the bones of war are buried outside the barren land, and the grapes are never seen entering the Han's house." Please tell me, grandma.This poem is collected in "Three Hundred Poems of the Tang Dynasty", which is a famous anthology of poems. A total of 310 poems have been selected. Why are the 310 poems called "Three Hundred Poems"?Because there are more than 300 poems in an older anthology called Poetry, but it is actually a title of 310. In order to learn from it, 310 Tang poems are included, and one less is to show politeness. Look at the Chinese. How wonderful!

dad February 1, 1974