Two of a Kind
| Characters: |
 |
Pronunciation:
nan(4) xiong(1) nan(4) di(4)
Explanation:
Meaning brothers with the same ability and
virtue. Later it described people in the same
boat and struggling in difficulties together.
Tone: Neutral
The Story: In the East Han Dynasty,
there was a scholar named Chen Shi. He had
two sons, one was Yuanfang, the other was
Jifang. The three were well respected and
people called them 'The Three Gentlemen'.
One day, the son of Yuanfang and the son
of Jifang were arguing about their fathers.
Each of them thought their own father was
better than the other's. At last, they went
to their grandfather Chen Shi for the answer.
After hearing their argument, Chen Shi said:
"Yuanfang and Jifang are two of a kind,
it is not easy to tell who is superior."
Usage Example (Pinyin): Zhan(4) dou(4)
zhi(1) hou(4), ta(1) men(2) cheng(2) le nan(4)
xiong(1) nan(4) di(4).
Usage Example (English translation):
After the battle, they became two of a kind.
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.
