Excessive Attention to Playthings Saps the Will

Characters:

Pronunciation: wan(2) wu(4) sang(4) zhi(4)

Explanation: Said of being too excessively devoted to a hobby that it will affect one's ambition

Tone: Neutral

The Story: After King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang Dynasty, all subservient states presented gifts to the leaders of the Zhou Dynasty to confirm their allegiance. One day, an ambassador from the Lu state in the west presented King Wu with a huge dog. The large dog lay in front of King Wu and nodded its head in a salute. King Wu was very pleased. He accepted the rare gift and rewarded the ambassador generously.

The Grand Guardian Lord of Zhou, Shi, wrote a letter titled "The huge dog of Lu" and gave it to King Wu, which said, "To humiliate others hurts one's own virtue; to pay excessive attention to playthings saps one's will. A great ideal started with difficulty must not be allowed to be ruined overnight."

After reading the letter, King Wu ordered that all the gifts be given among the princes and officials. He devoted all his attention to his government. As a result, the Zhou Dynasty was strong and solid.

Usage Example (Pinyin): Wo(3) de lao(3) lao chang(2) shuo(4) wan(2) wu(4) sang(4) zhi(4), xiao(3) shi(2) hou(4) ta(1) bu(4) rang(4) wo(3) zong(3) wan(2).

Usage Example (English translation): My grandmother often said that "excessive attention to playthings saps the will", and she did not allow me to play much when I was a child.

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.