Words & phrases
胸有成竹
xiōng yǒu chéng zhú
have a clear plan; be well prepared
掩耳盗铃
yǎn ěr dào líng
deceive oneself while trying to deceive others
掩盖
yǎn gài
cover up; conceal
Model sentences
画家动笔以前，心里已经胸有成竹。
huà jiā dòng bǐ yǐ qián， xīn lǐ yǐ jīng xiōng yǒu chéng zhú。
Before beginning, the painter already has a complete picture in mind.
掩耳盗铃的人捂住耳朵，以为别人也听不见。
yǎn ěr dào líng de rén wǔ zhù ěr duǒ， yǐ wéi bié rén yě tīng bú jiàn。
The bell thief covers his ears and assumes that others cannot hear either.
长期观察让画家熟悉竹子的形态。
cháng qī guān chá ràng huà jiā shú xī zhú zi de xíng tài。
Long observation makes the painter familiar with the form of bamboo.
充分准备以后，他更有把握画好竹子。
chōng fèn zhǔn bèi yǐ hòu， tā gèng yǒu bǎ wò huà hǎo zhú zi。
After thorough preparation, he feels more confident about painting the bamboo well.
捂住自己的耳朵不能掩盖铃声。
wǔ zhù zì jǐ de ěr duǒ bù néng yǎn gài líng shēng。
Covering one's own ears cannot conceal the sound of a bell.
不愿面对并不能改变已经发生的事实。
bù yuàn miàn duì bìng bù néng gǎi biàn yǐ jīng fā shēng de shì shí。
Refusing to face something cannot change the facts that have already occurred.
成语故事
文与可很喜欢画竹子。他住处附近长着许多竹子，春天长出新笋，夏天枝叶茂密，秋风吹来，竹叶又换了一种声音。
wén yǔ kě hěn xǐ huan huà zhú zi。 tā zhù chù fù jìn zhǎng zhe xǔ duō zhú zi， chūn tiān zhǎng chū xīn sǔn， xià tiān zhī yè mào mì， qiū fēng chuī lái， zhú yè yòu huàn le yì zhǒng shēng yīn。
Wen Yuke loved painting bamboo. Many bamboo plants grew near his home: new shoots appeared in spring, dense leaves in summer, and autumn winds gave the leaves a different sound.
不论晴天还是雨天，他常走到竹林里。阳光下，叶子的影子落在地上；风雨中，竹竿弯下去，又慢慢直起来。他把这些样子都记在心里。
bù lùn qíng tiān hái shì yǔ tiān， tā cháng zǒu dào zhú lín lǐ。 yáng guāng xià， yè zi de yǐng zi luò zài dì shàng； fēng yǔ zhōng， zhú gān wān xià qù， yòu màn màn zhí qǐ lai。 tā bǎ zhè xiē yàng zi dōu jì zài xīn lǐ。
In sunshine and rain, he often visited the grove. Leaves cast shadows in sunlight; in wind and rain, stalks bent and slowly straightened. He remembered all these forms.
一次，朋友请他画竹。他铺开纸，拿起笔，很快画出枝干和叶子。朋友问：“你怎么不用出去看看？”他笑着指向窗外，那片竹林已经看过许多遍了。
yí cì， péng yǒu qǐng tā huà zhú。 tā pù kāi zhǐ， ná qǐ bǐ， hěn kuài huà chū zhī gàn hé yè zi。 péng yǒu wèn：“nǐ zěn me bù yòng chū qu kàn kan？” tā xiào zhe zhǐ xiàng chuāng wài， nà piàn zhú lín yǐ jīng kàn guò xǔ duō biàn le。
One day, a friend asked him to paint bamboo. He laid out paper and quickly painted the stalks and leaves. “Why do you not need to look outside?” asked the friend. Smiling, he pointed to the grove he had studied many times.
朋友凑近看，连竹叶向哪边弯、枝条怎样交错，都画得清清楚楚，仿佛窗外的竹子走到了纸上。
péng yǒu còu jìn kàn， lián zhú yè xiàng nǎ biān wān、 zhī tiáo zěn yàng jiāo cuò， dōu huà de qīng qīng chu chǔ， fǎng fú chuāng wài de zhú zi zǒu dào le zhǐ shàng。
His friend saw the clear curves of leaves and crossing branches, as if the bamboo outside had moved onto the paper.
笔下的竹子有高有低，叶子疏密有致。别人称赞他胸有成竹，落笔之前，竹子的形象早已清楚地留在心里。
bǐ xià de zhú zi yǒu gāo yǒu dī， yè zi shū mì yǒu zhì。 bié rén chēng zàn tā xiōng yǒu chéng zhú， luò bǐ zhī qián， zhú zi de xíng xiàng zǎo yǐ qīng chu dì liú zài xīn lǐ。
His painted bamboo varied in height, with carefully spaced leaves. People said he had bamboo already in his mind: its shape was clear to him before his brush touched the paper.
另一处村庄里，有个人看见邻居门上挂着一口铃，想把它偷回家。他伸手一碰，铃就响了起来，吓得他赶快缩回手。
lìng yí chù cūn zhuāng lǐ， yǒu gè rén kàn jiàn lín jū mén shàng guà zhe yì kǒu líng， xiǎng bǎ tā tōu huí jiā。 tā shēn shǒu yī pèng， líng jiù xiǎng le qǐ lai， xià de tā gǎn kuài suō huí shǒu。
In another village, a man wanted to steal a bell hanging at his neighbour's gate. The moment he touched it, it rang, frightening him into pulling back his hand.
他想了想，先用两只手紧紧捂住耳朵，以为自己听不见，别人也就听不见了。他放下手去取铃，没想到门里的人早已听见声音，走了出来。
tā xiǎng le xiǎng， xiān yòng liǎng zhī shǒu jǐn jǐn wǔ zhù ěr duǒ， yǐ wéi zì jǐ tīng bú jiàn， bié rén yě jiù tīng bú jiàn le。 tā fàng xià shǒu qù qǔ líng， méi xiǎng dào mén lǐ de rén zǎo yǐ tīng jiàn shēng yīn， zǒu le chū lái。
He first covers his ears, assuming that if he cannot hear, nobody else can either. He lowers his hands to take the bell, but the owner has already heard it and comes outside.
邻居问：“你拿着我的铃做什么？”他慌忙放下铃，刚才得意的神情也消失了。门口的铃还在轻轻晃动，他却再也不敢往前伸手了。
lín jū wèn：“nǐ ná zhe wǒ de líng zuò shén me？” tā huāng máng fàng xià líng， gāng cái dé yì de shén qíng yě xiāo shī le。 mén kǒu de líng hái zài qīng qīng huàng dòng， tā què zài yě bù gǎn wǎng qián shēn shǒu le。
“What are you doing with my bell?” asks the neighbour. The man hurriedly puts it down and loses his smug expression. The bell still sways, but he no longer dares to reach for it.
Conversation
A 胸有成竹是把竹子放在胸口吗？
xiōng yǒu chéng zhú shì bǎ zhú zi fàng zài xiōng kǒu ma？
Does the idiom about having bamboo in mind mean literally putting bamboo in one's chest?
B 不是，是做事以前心里有计划或把握。
bú shì， shì zuò shì yǐ qián xīn lǐ yǒu jì huà huò bǎ wò。
No. It means having a plan or confidence before acting.
A 文与可的把握从哪里来？
wén yǔ kě de bǎ wò cóng nǎ lǐ lái？
Where does Wen Yuke's confidence come from?
B 从长期观察和认真积累中来。
cóng cháng qī guān chá hé rèn zhēn jī lěi zhōng lái。
From sustained observation and careful preparation.
A 捂住耳朵为什么不能防止被发现？
wǔ zhù ěr duǒ wèi shén me bù néng fáng zhǐ bèi fā xiàn？
Why can covering one's ears not prevent discovery?
B 铃还是会响，别人仍然听得见。
líng hái shì huì xiǎng， bié rén réng rán tīng de jiàn。
The bell still rings and others can still hear it.
