一字千金 / 太简时稚

[YuehanHao]

The first four-character phrase in the post title is a common idiom that was appropriated in the title of a book I recently read (in English, A Thousand Pieces of Gold), by an author named Adeline Yen Mah. The book had a dual purpose; on one hand, to tell of Chinese history around the time of the first emperor, and on the other, to tell meaningful episodes of the author's own life. Each chapter was titled with an idiom that was based on historical events of that earlier time that also described a poignant event in the author's life. I felt the approach worked quite well, and the book was a worthwhile read on both counts. I especially liked learning the story behind these idioms, many of which I never would have guessed, for example, 四面楚歌。

The second phrase in the post title is no idiom, but perhaps if modern society still created 成语, it (or, no, some more scholarly variant the more learned could suggest) could have been. Who could not feel ridiculous in asking, but inspired by all the idioms in the book I just read, my own memories of friends from college solving New Year's riddles and another time mocking during a New Year's hot pot the quotation referred to in this invented, faux 成语, I will complete this copycat dual purpose post with the fun riddle: Who can guess the notorious quote from recent history being referred to by 太简时稚?

约翰好

[skylee]

too simple, sometimes naive ->

.

Most probably you can't use this as people won't understand it, and it is not really a chengyu. Very interesting, though.

[YuehanHao]

Ha, ha, thanks for ringing in with the correct reply to my silly riddle. Glad somebody could figure out / remember that rebuke to Hong Kong journalists which still can make me smile.

I'd never have imagined it, but I do miss sometimes the genuine politicomedy from the leaders of yesteryear, both from China and the U.S. Maybe I'm being nostalgic, but these days it seems all so much neat and empty overseriousness delivered in melodious voices.

约翰好

[Guest realmayo]

Heehee, my favourite youtube clip! I miss him a lot.....

[Guest realmayo]

Haha, watching it again, I just love the qualifier "sometimes" in "too simple ....... sometimes naive".

I'd also forgotten just how high he wears his trousers.