Playing the Qin to a Cow

HSK 3 · 225 characters · Chinese Idioms

Story behind the idiom: 对牛弹琴 - Playing the qin to a cow

很久以前hěn jiǔ yǐ qián，有yǒu一个yī ge人rén会huì弹琴tán qín。A long time ago, there was a man who could play the qin (a traditional Chinese instrument).他tā觉得jué de自己zì jǐ的de琴声qín shēng很好听hěn hǎo tīng。He thought his music sounded very beautiful.有一天yǒu yī tiān，他tā看见kàn jiàn一头牛yī tóu niú在zài吃草chī cǎo。One day, he saw a cow eating grass.他tā想xiǎng：“我wǒ给gěi牛niú弹琴tán qín吧ba，让ràng它tā听一听tīng yī tīng！”He thought, “I will play the qin for the cow, so it can listen!”于是yú shì他tā坐在zuò zài牛niú的de面前miàn qián，开始kāi shǐ弹琴tán qín。So he sat in front of the cow and began to play.琴声qín shēng轻轻地qīng qīng de、慢慢地màn màn de流出来liú chū lái。The music came out softly and slowly.可是kě shì，那头牛nà tóu niú还是hái shi低头dī tóu吃草chī cǎo，好像hǎo xiàng什么shén me也yě没有méi yǒu听到tīng dào。But the cow kept its head down eating grass, as if it heard nothing.不管bù guǎn那个人nà gè rén怎么zěn me弹琴tán qín，牛niú都dōu没有méi yǒu反应fǎn yìng。No matter how the man played, the cow showed no reaction.

后来hòu lái，人们rén men笑xiào他tā，说shuō：“你nǐ真zhēn傻shǎ，对牛弹琴duì niú tán qín，牛niú怎么zěn me会huì懂dǒng呢ne？”Later, people laughed at him and said: “You are so silly. Playing music to a cow? How could it understand?”这个zhè ge故事gù shì告诉gào sù我们wǒ men：有时候yǒu shí hou，我们wǒ men说得shuō de再好zài hǎo，如果rú guǒ对象duì xiàng不懂bù dǒng，也是yě shì没用méi yòng的de。This story tells us: sometimes, no matter how well we speak, if the listener does not understand, it is useless.所以suǒ yǐ“对牛弹琴duì niú tán qín”这个zhè ge成语chéng yǔ，现在xiàn zài用来yòng lái形容xíng róng对duì不懂bù dǒng道理dào li的de人rén讲jiǎng深奥shēn ào的de话huà。So the idiom “duì niú tán qín” is now used to describe speaking profound things to people who cannot understand.

比如bǐ rú：小王xiǎo wáng喜欢xǐ huan讲jiǎng很难hěn nán的de数学shù xué问题wèn tí，可是kě shì他tā跟gēn小李xiǎo lǐ说shuō这些zhè xiē，小李xiǎo lǐ根本gēn běn听不懂tīng bù dǒng。For example: Xiao Wang likes to talk about very hard math problems, but when he tells Xiao Li, Xiao Li cannot understand at all.别人bié ren就jiù会huì说shuō：“你nǐ别bié再zài对牛弹琴duì niú tán qín了le。”Other people might say: “Stop playing the qin to a cow.”