Lord Ye and the Dragon

Illustration for the Chinese story “Lord Ye and the Dragon”

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从前cóng qián,有yǒu一个人yī gè rén叫jiào叶yè公gōng。Long ago, there was a man named Lord Ye.他说tā shuō他tā最喜欢zuì xǐ huān龙lóng。He said he loved dragons most of all.

他的tā de衣服yī fu上shàng画huà着zhe龙lóng。There were dragons painted on his clothes.他的tā de墙上qiáng shàng、门mén上shàng也yě都是dōu shì龙lóng。His walls and doors were covered with dragons too.

天上tiān shàng的de真zhēn龙lóng听说tīng shuō了le,很高兴hěn gāo xìng。A real dragon in the sky heard about this and was very happy.真zhēn龙飞lóng fēi下来xià lai,到dào叶yè公家gōng jiā看kàn他tā。The real dragon flew down to Lord Ye's house to see him.

龙lóng把bǎ大头dà tóu放进fàng jìn窗户chuāng hu里lǐ。The dragon put its big head in through the window.叶yè公gōng一看yī kàn,吓得xià de大叫dà jiào,跑走pǎo zǒu了le。When Lord Ye saw it, he screamed in fear and ran away.原来yuán lái,他tā喜欢xǐ huan的de不是bù shì真zhēn龙lóng。It turned out that what he loved was not real dragons.

这个zhè ge成语chéng yǔ是shì“叶公好龙yè gōng hào lóng”。This idiom is "Lord Ye loves dragons."意思yì si是shì:嘴zuǐ上shàng说shuō喜欢xǐ huan,其实qí shí不是bù shì真的zhēn de喜欢xǐ huan。It means: saying you love something when you don't really love it.例句lì jù:他说tā shuō喜欢xǐ huan狗gǒu,见jiàn了le狗gǒu就jiù跑pǎo,真是zhēn shi叶公好龙yè gōng hào lóng。Example: He says he likes dogs but runs when he sees one — just like Lord Ye and his dragons.

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