S7E08 | All I Want Is To Be Next To You
Saying: “a pavilion near the water”
Pinyin: Jìn Shuǐ Lóu Tái
Chinese: 近水楼台
Greetings CHP listeners, whether you want it or not, here's the next episode of the CSP. The story behind our Chinese Saying for this time is quite recent as Chinese history goes. It takes place merely a thousand years ago, during the time of the Northern Song Dynasty. Just like location, location, location is what matters most in real estate, when it comes to getting ahead in your career, the same often holds true.
One's location, relative to the boss, can sometimes make it or break it for you. As this story will show, if you're hoping to climb the ladder of success, sometimes a Jìn Shuǐ Lóu Tái 近水楼台 is all you need. A pavilion or a building near the water? How could that help an ambitious and aspiring bureaucrat in the government? Listen to this story that features the great Northern Song poet, politician, philosopher, writer, military strategist, and scholar-official, Fan Zhongyan.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Chéngyǔ | 成语 | A Chinese Saying or idiom |
| Zhōu Dynasty | 周朝 | Chinese dynasty led by the Ji family that lasted from 1046 to 256 BC |
| Hàn Dynasty | 汉朝 | Chinese dynasty founded by Liu Bang that lasted from 202 BC to 220 AD, with a brief interregnuym from 9 to 25 AD |
| Southern Sòng Dynasty | 南宋 | The part of the Song Dynasty when the capital was moved south to Hangzhou. The Southern Song lasted 1127-1279 |
| Lìshuǐ | 丽水 | City in Zhejiang province |
| Zhèjiāng | 浙江 | Coastal province in China south of Jiangsu and north of Fujian |
| Yú Wénbào | 俞文豹 | A writer during the late Southern Song who write “Notes of a Clear Night” Qīng Yè Lù 清夜录 |
| Sòng Emperor Lǐzōng | 宋理宗 | Southern Song emperor who reigned 1224-1264 |
| Sǎnwén | 散文 | a kind of prose style of writing |
| Míng Emperor Wànlì | 明万历 | Long reigning Ming emperor who was famous for neglecting his job and setting his dynasty up for ruin. He reigned 1572-1620 |
| Jìn Shuǐ Lóu Tái | 近水楼台 | A waterside pavilion |
| Jìn | 近 | Near to |
| Shuǐ | 水 | Water |
| Lóutái | 楼台 | a high building, a tower, pavilion or a balcony |
| Fàn Zhòngyān | 范仲淹 | 989-1052, early Song Dyansty official and man of letters, renowned for his scholarship and literary skills |
| Hángzhōu | 杭州 | Capital of Zhejiang province and one-time capital of the Southern Song and many other dynasties |
| Sū Lín | 苏麟 | An aspiring scholar official who was hoping to get a "waterside pavilion" near to Fan Zhongyan's corner office |
| Jìnshuǐ lóutái xiāndé yuè, Xiàngyáng huāmù yìwéi chūn | 近水楼台先得月, 向阳花木易为春 | The waterside pavilion is the first to catch the moonlight, and the buds closest to the sun are the first to bloom in spring |
| Chéngyǔ Yánjiū Zhōngxīn | 成语研究中心 | The Teacup Chengyu Research Center, led by Emma |
