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.

Costly victory

This comes from the story of the Battle of Heraclea and the Battle of Asculum, where King Pyrrhus of Epirus defeated Rome, suffering heavy casualties.

language	term
Armenian	պյուռոսյան հաղթանակ
Azerbaijani	Pirr qələbəsi
Bulgarian	Пирова победа
Chinese	皮洛士式勝利／皮洛士式胜利
Czech	Pyrrhovo vítězství
Danish	pyrrhussejr
Dutch	pyrrusoverwinning
English	Pyrrhic victory
Esperanto	Pirha venko
Finnish	Pyrrhoksen voitto
French	victoire à la Pyrrhus
German	Pyrrhussieg
Hungarian	pirruszi győzelem‎
Indonesian	kemenangan piris
Italian	vittoria di Pirro
Japanese	ピュロスの勝利
Latin	victoria Pyrrhica
Macedonian	Пирова победа
Modern Greek	Πύρρειος νίκη
Norwegian Bokmål	pyrrhosseier
Norwegian Nynorsk	pyrrhossiger
Polish	pyrrusowe zwycięstwo
Portuguese	vitória de Pirro vitória pírrica
Romanian	victorie à la Pirus
Russian	Пиррова победа
Slovak	Pyrrhovo víťazstvo
Spanish	victoria pírrica
Swedish	pyrrhusseger

Device or person placed within the enemy

This comes from the story of Trojan War in Aeneid, where Odysseus built a wooden horse, hid himself and soldiers inside, let the Trojan force capture the wooden horse as a trophy, then opened the gate of Troy at night to let the Greek army in.

language	term
Armenian	Տրոյական ձի
Chinese	特洛伊木馬／特洛伊木马
Czech	trojský kůň
Danish	trojansk hest
English	Trojan horse
Esperanto	troja ĉevalo
Finnish	Troijan hevonen
French	cheval de Troie
German	trojanisches Pferd
Hebrew	סוס טרויאני
Hungarian	trójai faló‎
Icelandic	trójuhestur
Italian	cavallo di Troia
Japanese	トロイの木馬
Korean	트로이 목마
Latin	equus Troianus
Macedonian	Тројанскиот коњ
Modern Greek	δούρειος ίππος
Polish	koń trojański
Portuguese	cavalo de Troia
Romanian	cal troian
Russian	Троянский конь
Spanish	caballo de Troya

Face hostilities from all sides

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

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

Impose oneself hardships to accomplish something

This comes from the story in Records of the Grand Historian, where the King Gōujiàn of Yuè was defeated by the State of Wú; he forced himself to sleep on firewood and lick a gallbladder every day to remind himself to revenge.

language	term
Chinese	臥薪嘗膽／卧薪尝胆
Japanese	臥薪嘗膽
Korean	와신상담
Vietnamese	nếm mật nằm gai nằm gai nếm mật

Land of abundance

This comes from the story in Exodus, where the Lord referred the Land of Israel “land flowing with milk and honey”.

language	term
English	land of milk and honey
Hebrew	אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ‎
Polish	kraina mlekiem i miodem płynąca‎
Portuguese	terra de leite e mel

Share the same fate

This comes from the story in the Commentary of Zuǒ, where the marquis of Jìn asked the duke of Yū for military passage to attack the State of Guó; Gōng Zhīqí admonished the duke of Yū, comparing the relation between Guó and Yū as lips and teeth, saying “When the lips perish, the teeth become cold”.

language	term
Chinese	脣亡齒寒／唇亡齿寒
Japanese	唇亡歯寒
Korean	순망치한
Vietnamese	môi hở răng lạnh

Take damage for others without getting proper rewards

This comes from the fable The Monkey and the Cat, where the cat is tricked by the monkey to pull some chestnuts out of the fire, getting its paws burnt and can't stop the monkey from taking all chestnuts away.

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, where Thetis dipped Achilles in River Styx to make him invulnerable, holding his heel, leaving it his 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
English	Achilles' heel
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