Always Having a Book in One's Hand

Characters:

Pronunciation: Shou(3) Bu(2) Shi(4) Juan(4)

Explanation: Said of someone who is studying assiduously.

The Story: General Lu Meng of the state of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period had worked his way up from among the rank and file and did not learn much from books. Seeing that he was young and capable and was occupying an important position, Sun Quan, the king of Wu, advised him to read more books and broaden his knowledge.

Lu Meng thought that book reading was the business of the scholars. "A military officer did not have to read as long as he could fight battles," he thought. He therefore tried to excuse himself, saying, "There are too many things to do in the army. How can I find time to read?"

After hearing what he had said, Sun Quan said sternly, "You said that you were too busy. Are you much busier than I am? I have read some classics in the past. After I began to supervise the military and political affairs of the state, I still found time to read some history and military books however busy I am. I find I've improved myself a great deal. Although Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty was very busy commanding troops and fighting battles, he always had a book in his hand. Why shouldn't you read and study hard?"

Lu Meng was deeply moved. From then on, he studied diligently and made rapid progress. He later became the chief general of the state of Wu with both courage and wisdom and repeatedly performed outstanding services.

Usage Example (Pinyin): o, huo(3) ji(4), qing(4) bu(3) yao(4) zong(3) shi(4) shou(3) bu(2) shi(4) juan(4), wo(3) ke(3) bu(4) xi(3) huan(1) yi ge(4) shu(1) chong(2) peng(2) you(3).

Usage Example (English translation): Oh buddy, please do not always have a book in your hand. I don't like a bookworm friend.

Note: The spoken Chinese Mandarin language has 4 spoken tones. We have attempted to re-create those above where after each syllable we tell you (1), (2), (3), or (4) as they correspond to each of the 4 tones. We encourage you to complement your Xianzai.com Chinese Idioms newsletter with a good offline study program.