S5E09 | You Asked For It!

 

Saying: “Leaving the door open invites the thief”
Pinyin: Kāi Mén Yī Dào
Chinese: 开门揖盗

 

In this penultimate CSP episode for Season 5, we harken back to the Three Kingdoms Period, and the time of the two brothers Sun Ce and Sun Quan. When Sun Quan's lugubrious grieving over Sun Ce's unexpected and early passing leads him to neglect his kingdom, he learns from a trusted voice that he is Kāi Mén Yī Dào 开门揖盗. Opening the door and welcoming a robber. He's asking for it! Enjoy this story lifted directly from the Record of the Three Kingdoms. And thanks for listening.


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Terms in Episode

Pinyin/TermChineseEnglish/Meaning
kāi mén yī dào开门揖盗To open the door and invite in a bandit. To "ask for trouble"
Wú Shū吴书Book of Wu, one of the three books that make up thre Record of the Three Kingdoms
Sān Guó Zhì三国志The Record of the Three Kingdoms, written during the Jin Dynasty (晋朝)
Jìn Dynasty晋朝Dynasty that lasted from 266-420
Luó Guànzhōng罗贯中1330-1400, Author of the classic Ming Dynasty novel, "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms"
KāiTo open
ménDoor, gate
Kāi mén开门To open the door
When you Zuò Yī (perform a Yī),you’re bowing and also extending your hands before you and clasp them. It is a polite greeting and show of respect
Dàoa robber or bandit
Eastern Hàn东汉The second part of the Han Dynasty, also known as the Later Han, began on 25 AD after the overthrow of Wang Mang and the start of the reign of Han Guangwu
Yíng Zhèng嬴政Personal name of Qin Shihuang, the founding emperor of the Qin Dynasty
Liú Bāng刘邦Personal name of Han Gaozu, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty
Sūn Quán孙权182-252, brother of Sun Ce, later Emperor of Eastern Wu (229-252)
Sūn Cè孙策175-200, elder brother of Sun Quan, military general and politician who got things going for the future Eastern Wu
Emperor Xiàn汉献帝Final emperor of the Han Dynasty who reigned 189-220
Cáo Pī曹丕First emperor of the Kingdom of Cao Wei. He was also the son of Cao Cao
Jiāng dōng江东The Eastern part of China comprising Jiangsu, and parts of Anhui and Zhejiang
吴郡Wú jùnWú Prefecture
Sūzhōu苏州City in JIangsu famous for many things
Dōng Wú东吴Eastern Wu, also known as Sun Wu. This was one of the Three Kingdoms contending for supremecy of all China
Xǔ Gòng许贡Died in 200 AD, a politician and minor warlord in Jiangsu
Dāntú丹 徒A town just south of Zhenjiang on the Yangzi River
Zhāng Zhāo张昭156-236, Chief advisor to Sun Ce who later went on to serve Sun Quan
Teacup Chéngyǔ Yánjiū Zhōngxīn茶杯媒体成语研究中心The Teacup Media Chengyu Research Center

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S5E10 | Life is But a Dream

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S5E08 | It Don’t Mean a Thing