Tag Archives: Chinese

Lei Gong

Text:

“雷公 (Lei Gong)”

Translation:

The Thunder Father, the Thunder God

Context:

“I remember it being a more folkloreic thing. Becuase there were these gods, and it wasn’t authoritatively taught to us or anything. It’s more of like a- my parents would use it as a way for discipline thing… It’s funny because they only ever use him a lot because he’s the one that causes the thunder, and that scares children. It’s kinda a way to explain where thunder comes about. But it is the idea that if you behave badly, the thunder god will come to judge you. He punishes the morally guilty. So whenever you are misbehaving, he is gonna strike you down. It is related to thunder because you kind of caused it. And whenever it did thunder, and I didn’t do anything. My mom will reinforce that: ‘You hear the thunder? He is coming. Listen to how angry he is.’”

Analysis:

J: Turns out it is just a tactic for the parents to manipulate their children…
P: Yeah- but also,I guess the fact that it exists- in Chinese, it is a personification of the judge of guiltiness. It is really interesting that it passes down. Our parents say it.
J: Right, it is like- culturally, how our (Chinese) parents teach their children by scaring them instead of teaching them actual lesson.
P: Yeah, yeah. So I always have fascination about this. Even when I know it isn’t real now, I still have a fascination with thunder and rain. It makes you pay attention to it.

Lei Gong is not only a figure featured in Chinese legend; he is also taught to children as an invisible figure who judges them. It is interesting to see how the loud thunder in many cultures and legends always symbolizes judgment. But it is not hard to imagine having to come up with an explanation for loud bombing noise from the sky other than some omniscient beings.

五十步笑百步 (Wu Shi Bu Xiao Bai Bu)

Those who retreated 50 steps mock those who retreated 100 steps.

Occupation: Student 

Date: 02/11/2025 

Primary Language: English

Language: Mandarin

Description

Okay. I got closer so I actually got it. Yeah, I have the one that’s um, The change tax is like, um, so that’s like the one who runs 50 steps away from the enemy laughs at the one who runs 100 steps away. It’s kind of poking fun at people who like kind of fell but they’re making fun of other people who fell. Even though, like, on like surface level, they’re both like running away from something. Yeah. Um it’s really interesting to me because it was often used my in my family. Because I have a younger sister, which… sometimes when we both get clowned on by my parents, she will laugh at me even though like she also did do something wrong. It’s also… I don’t remember a specific history behind it, but it’s definitely used, like, in war times or like, like tease on soliders who run away from your enemies. 

Subject Opinion: 

Subject: It happens unintentionally so often that, just the saying, it…surprisingly could be applied to a lot of situations. 

Analysis: 

This ancient Chinese proverb states that those who mock others’ shortcomings often have the same shortcomings themselves, criticizing the irony and hypocrisy in human behavior. The proverb’s wartime context opens up a much larger consideration of folklore born in turbulent eras during which common folk are often exposed to war, famine, etc. Similar to a large portion of Chinese wisdom, this proverb places us in a military context that, on the literal level, only applies to soldiers. But the fact that the proverb is widely known reflects the reverence and attention common folk paid to soldiers at the time, giving folk speech that stem from that realm a particular zest and intrigue. It is also interesting that the subject referenced her own family and how it’s used to point out hypocrisy in mundane matters. Though the proverb does not directly communicate a piece of advice, it encourages against the behavior described by letting the receiver come to their conclusions after witnessing the irony of the situation, making it an incredibly durable and effective proverb. 

拿肉包打狗，狗吃了，自己没得吃 – If you hit a dog with a meat bun, the dog will eat it and you have no food now.

Age: 21

Proverb: 拿肉包打狗，狗吃了，自己没得吃 

Translation: If you hit a dog with a meat bun, the dog will eat it and you have no food now.

Context: “Basically if you punish someone with something and they enjoy it, it does nothing for you and makes it worse for you. I grew up hearing it from my mom all the time when I was growing up; mostly as a scolding for messing something up or not really helping in an already messed up situation. It was mostly used in Chinese households as a warning for kids to not act stupid and mess up something they achieved.” 

Analysis: “If you hit a dog with a meat bun the dog eats it and you have no food now” is a well-known Chinese proverb. It is primarily used as a lesson for young children and it teaches them to not be careful in situations and to be wary of what they say or do lest they mess up. 

“The Girl Who Turned Into the Moon”

Age: 20

Date: 03/27/2025

Language: English

Nationality: Chinese

Occupation: Student

Primary Language: English

Residence: United States

1. Text:

“When I was little, my mom used to tell me a story about a girl who didn’t feel like she belonged in her village. She was kind and quiet, and she loved to watch the moon from her rooftop. One day, she disappeared — no one could find her. But that night, the moon was bigger and brighter than ever, and people said they could see the outline of a girl’s face in it, like she was finally where she belonged. The story goes that she was so gentle and luminous that the sky took her in. And now, whenever you feel alone, you can look up and remember that she’s still watching over the ones who don’t quite fit in.”

2. Context:

The informant said her mom would tell her this story whenever she was feeling out of place or left out. Annie said she used to imagine that the moon girl was her imaginary friend — someone soft, calm, and always there. She now sees the story as a metaphor for girlhood, sensitivity, and the quiet power of being different. “It made me feel like there was a kind of magic in being misunderstood,” she said.

3. My Interpretation:

This legend is a beautiful example of celestial transformation as emotional metaphor. The moon becomes a symbol of refuge for girls who feel unseen — turning isolation into radiance. The narrative draws on themes of longing, gentleness, and visibility, with folkloric echoes of moon goddesses and star maidens. It affirms that softness is not weakness, and that even those who vanish leave behind light.

Unlucky #4

Nationality: American

Chinese folklore considers the number 4 to be unlucky because the pronunciation of “four” in Chinese sounds like the pronunciation of the word “death”.

The informant is an American who previously lived in Shanghai for two years and attended an international school.

G explained that while living in Shanghai she noticed that some buildings didn’t have a fourth floor. After realizing this omission, she began to notice that the number four was avoided culturally if possible. She asked some school friends about it and they explained that in Chinese folklore it’s unlucky to use the number 4 because it sounds like the word death. G found this superstition to be interesting and continued to notice it, but she never believed in it herself.