S8E03 | Gimme Three Steps

The China History Podcast

Laszlo Montgomery

Places & Travel, Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 13 August 2023

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

With a cast of characters like the Dukes of Jin and Chu and everyone's favorite exile Chong Er, you're guaranteed a treat. This is the story behind the chengyu: 退避三舍 Tuì Bì Sān Shè. The story of Chong Er, his escape from persecution by his father Duke Xian of Jin, and his triumphant return to Jin in 636 BC is one of the countless unforgettable stories from ancient Chinese history. Before Chong Er became Duke Wen of Jin, he experienced a nineteen-year odyssey that took him throughout the states of the Zhou Dynasty. This story concerns a visit to Chu. Sometimes you gotta know when to make a strategic retreat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back, everyone. Glad to see you tuning in.
0:02.5	L'Ozlum Montgomery here with another Chinese saying podcast.
0:06.4	I'm like pretty much every single Chinese saying,
0:08.7	presented since 2016.
0:11.2	This one too is rooted in history.
0:14.2	And today's Cheng Yu,
0:15.8	Tui Bisan Shuh,
0:17.7	doesn't disappoint.
0:19.2	This one comes to us courtesy of the Commentaries of Zou,
0:22.5	the Zou Chuan.
0:24.0	This is one of the more well-known stories
0:26.0	from these warring states' times.
0:28.4	But before we get to it,
0:30.3	let's look at the four characters that make up the saying.
0:33.4	Tui Bisan Shuh.
0:35.9	Tui means to move back or to retreat.
0:39.2	And B means to avoid or evade.
0:43.2	San is the number three.
0:45.3	And Shuh means a house or a shed or a hut.
0:48.5	But it also has an archaic usage
0:50.6	that means a distance of 30 Lee,
0:53.0	which is about 15 kilometers or 9.3 miles.
	...

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