Meaningful Chinese Idioms-About Ambition-#001-

The literal translation of this idiom is to get up and exercising when you hear the rooster crow. This idiom is used to describe a person who knows how to seize the moment and get up and move in time. When your friends ask you about the meaning of these four Chinese characters, you can tell them the story of this idiom. You can associate this phrase with your dreams and goals and let this phrase story inspire your fighting spirit. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… The order of these four words is "聞雞起舞". You can copy these words and then look up the pronunciation of these four words for yourself. Chinese characters are like building blocks, and if they are arranged in a different order, they can have completely different meanings. "聞" - This word means to listen. "雞" - This word means rooster. This word in this idiom means the crowing of a rooster. "起" - This word means to get up. "舞"- This word means to dance. The word in this idiom means to exercise. The way modern Chinese characters are written and read is horizontally. The order of writing and reading is from left to right and from top to bottom. The traditional way of writing and reading Chinese characters is straight. The order of writing and reading is from right to left and from top to bottom. Both methods are widely used today. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 聞雞起舞(Get up and exercise when you hear the rooster crow.) During the Jin Dynasty in China, there was a famous general called Zu Ti. When Zu Ti was young, he lived with a good friend called Liu Kun. They have the same ambitions and interests. They all want to join the army, they all hope to serve their country. One day, when (Zu Ti) was sleeping, he heard a rooster crowing. (Zu Ti) woke up with a start and kicked (Liu Kun), who was sleeping in the same bed. (Zu Ti) said to (Liu Kun). Did you hear the rooster crow? Liu Kun replied angrily. It is normal to hear roosters crowing early in the morning, and it is not surprising. (Zu Ti) apologised to (Liu Kun) and said. Please don't be angry with me for kicking you. I was just sleeping and was awakened by a rooster crowing. I feel that this rooster is reminding us to get up quickly to practise and study. We are still young and want to fulfil our dreams as soon as possible. I think we should all get up earlier from now on. So I just made a decision. I decided to get up, exercise and study when I heard the first rooster crow every day. Do you like my idea? Do you want to change with me? Do you want to get up early together? After listening to what Zu Ti said, (Liu Kun) smiled and expressed his agreement. Dear friends, what inspiration or thoughts do you have after listening to this story? What dreams do you have? What practical efforts have you made to realise your dreams? I hope this story can bring you some new insights. Source: "Book of Jin-62" https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E6%99%89%E6%9B%B8/%E5%8D%B7062