In ancient times, there was a prime minister named Shang Yang in the State of Qin. He was held in high regard by the King. In the year 359 BC, he wanted to reform the system politically in order to promote economic development. But he was afraid that the people would not believe local authorities. So he came up with an idea.
One day, he had a 10-meter-long pole erected at the south gate outside the capital. Then he told the crowd that whoever successfully carried the pole to the north gate would be awarded 10 ounces of silver. Everyone was astonished, but nobody dared to try. After seeing their lack of response, Shang Yang raised his voice and said, "Anyone who carries the pole to the north gate will get 50 ounces of silver." A brave man did it and was immediately given 50 ounces of silver. Others in the crowd then regretted not trying.
In this way, Shang Yang achieved his goal. Soon after, the State of Qin became the strongest country around.
Today, people use the phrase to reconfirm that one can keep his promise.
yī yán wéi zhòng
一言為重
古時(shí)候，秦國有個(gè)相國叫商鞅，秦王很器重他。公元前359年，他打算在秦國實(shí)行變法，但他怕百姓們不相信官府，就決定做件事以取得他們的信任。
有一天，他把一根10米長的竿子豎在都城南門外，然后告訴百姓如果誰把這根竹竿拿到城邊北門，就賞給他10兩銀子。開始，大家聽到這個(gè)消息都很吃驚，但沒人敢試。于是商鞅又提高聲音說：“誰把這根竹竿拿到北門，賞50兩銀子。”這時(shí)，有一個(gè)膽子挺大的人愿意去試一試。當(dāng)他把竹竿拿到北門時(shí)，商鞅立刻賞給他50兩銀子。其他人看見了，都非常后悔自己沒去試。
經(jīng)過這件事，大家都相信了官府。于是，商鞅的變法進(jìn)行得很成功，秦國因此成為了當(dāng)時(shí)最強(qiáng)大的國家。
后來，人們就用“一言為重”來比喻一個(gè)人信守承諾。
yu?n z?u gāo fēi
遠(yuǎn)走高飛
Literally, to soar high and fly far; it means to go to faraway places
bào fēng zhòu y?
暴風(fēng)驟雨
Violent storm; hurricane; tempest
tiān cóng rén yuàn
天從人愿
Heaven granting man's wish; by the grace of God; God willing
tiān zuò zhī hé
天作之合
A match made in Heaven; predestined marriage
bù yì zhī cái
不義之財(cái)
Ill-gotten or undeserved wealth; dishonest gains
bù kān shè xi?ng
不堪設(shè)想
Too dreadful to contemplate
Source: China Internet Information Center
