Language/Multiple-languages/Culture/Common-Allusions

Hi all. In this lesson, we will see similar allusions around the world.

This page has a parent: Language/Multiple-languages/Culture/Similar-Sayings.

In progress.

Facing hostility from all sides

This comes from the Battle of Gāixià, where the coalition force of Hàn surrounded Chǔ army and sang Chǔ folk songs.

language	term
Chinese	四面楚歌
Japanese	四面楚歌
Korean	사면초가

Taking damage for others without getting proper rewards

This comes from the fable The Monkey and the Cat

language	term
Catalan	treure les castanyes del foc
Chinese	火中取栗
Danish	rage kastanjerne ud af ilden
English	pull someone's chestnuts out of the fire
Finnish	hoitaa jonkun homma
French	tirer les marrons du feu
German	die Kastanien aus dem Feuer holen
Italian	cavar le castagne dal fuoco
Modern Greek	βγάζω τα κάστανα από τη φωτιά
Norwegian Bokmål	rake kastanjene ut av ilden
Norwegian Nynorsk	rake kastanjane ut av elden
Polish	wyciągać kasztany z ognia
Spanish	sacar las castañas del fuego
Swedish	kratsa kastanjerna ur elden

Vulnarability

This comes from the Greek myth about Achilles, where his mother Thetis dipped him in River Styx to give him the invulnerability, leaving his heel the only weakness.

language	term
Arabic	كعب أخيل‎
Armenian	աքիլեսյան գարշապար
Asturian	calcañu d'Aquiles
Bulgarian	Ахилесова пета
Catalan	taló d'Aquil·les
Chinese	阿喀琉斯之踵
Czech	Achilova pata
Danish	akilleshæl
Dutch	achilleshiel
Finnish	akilleenkantapää
French	alon d’Achille
Galician	talón de Aquiles
Georgian	აქილევსის ქუსლი
German	Achillesferse
Hungarian	Achilles-sarok
Interlingua	calce de Achilles
Iranian Persian	پاشنه آشیل‎
Italian	tallone di Achille
Japanese	アキレス腱
Korean	아킬레스 건
Macedonian	Ахилова пета
Modern Greek	αχίλλειος πτέρνα
Norwegian	akilleshæl
Polish	pięta Achillesa
Portuguese	calcanhar de Aquiles
Romanian	călcâiul lui Ahile
Russian	ахиллесова пята
Serbo-Croatian	Ахилова пета / Ahilova peta
Spanish	talón de Aquiles
Swedish	akilleshäl
Tagalog	sakong ni Akiles