望梅止渴
Chinese
hope; expect; to visit hope; expect; to visit; to gaze (into the distance); look towards; towards |
plum flower | to quench one's thirst | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (望梅止渴) | 望 | 梅 | 止渴 | |
| simp. #(望梅止渴) | 望 | 梅 | 止渴 | |
| Literally: “to quench one's thirst by thinking of plums”. | ||||
Etymology
From the tale of the warlord Cao Cao deceiving his severely dehydrated troops with the promise of a forest of plums not far ahead.
- 魏武行役，失汲道，軍皆渴，乃令曰：「前有大梅林，饒子，甘酸，可以解渴。」士卒聞之，口皆出水，乘此得及前源。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
- From: Liu Yiqing (editor), A New Account of the Tales of the World, 5th century CE
- Wèi Wǔ xíng yì, shī jí dào, jūn jiē kě, nǎi lìng yuē: “Qián yǒu dà méilín, ráo zǐ, gān suān, kěyǐ jiěkě.” Shìzú wén zhī, kǒu jiē chūshuǐ, chéng cǐ dé jí qián yuán. [Pinyin]
- Emperor Wu of Wei (Cao Cao) was leading his army., but failed to find a path with water source, and his army was thirty. He then ordered, “There is a big plum forest ahead with many fruits. They are very sweet and sour and you can relieve your thirst there.” When the army heard what he said, they drooled and then they seized the opportunity to reach the water source ahead
魏武行役，失汲道，军皆渴，乃令曰：“前有大梅林，饶子，甘酸，可以解渴。”士卒闻之，口皆出水，乘此得及前源。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
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