cup : sake : solution : grudge
Who's to say a little enmity can't be solved by sharing a pint? Certainly not Li Sheng, to whom the origin of this yoji-jukugo is credited. Today's proverb comes from the New Book of Tang: an official chronicle of one of the golden ages of Chinese history, the Tang Dynasty (ca. 618–907).
杯酒解怨 is defined as: "washing away all enmity and ill will by sharing a drink". It first appeared during a confrontation between military general Li Sheng and Chancellor Zhang Yanshang. Having long held grudges against each other (over a woman, no less), it appeared as though the two had finally begun to make amends after the Zhu Ci rebellion; however, upon Li's request that Zhang give a daughter to one of his sons for marriage, he refused. Still apparent that Zhang harbored ill will towards him, Li commented:
"For I am a military man, I choose to forget old grudges against someone after I have shared a drink with them. Those who call themselves Confucians are not so; though they may appear peaceful on the outside, they hold anger in their chest. That you would refuse the marriage is because you have not forgotten our former quarrel, is it not?"
As much as this would make for a wonderful soap opera, the key point to take away is that—among its other reputation as the cause of many a quarrel—alcohol was apparently also regarded as the solution to many friendship problems. And unless I'm much mistaken, that pretty much still holds true today.
杯酒解怨 is defined as: "washing away all enmity and ill will by sharing a drink". It first appeared during a confrontation between military general Li Sheng and Chancellor Zhang Yanshang. Having long held grudges against each other (over a woman, no less), it appeared as though the two had finally begun to make amends after the Zhu Ci rebellion; however, upon Li's request that Zhang give a daughter to one of his sons for marriage, he refused. Still apparent that Zhang harbored ill will towards him, Li commented:
"For I am a military man, I choose to forget old grudges against someone after I have shared a drink with them. Those who call themselves Confucians are not so; though they may appear peaceful on the outside, they hold anger in their chest. That you would refuse the marriage is because you have not forgotten our former quarrel, is it not?"
As much as this would make for a wonderful soap opera, the key point to take away is that—among its other reputation as the cause of many a quarrel—alcohol was apparently also regarded as the solution to many friendship problems. And unless I'm much mistaken, that pretty much still holds true today.
My attempt at a four-word translation of 杯酒解怨
Drink 'Til You're Friends
No comments:
Post a Comment