Mona and I discuss an enigmatic concept known as the American Dream. What does it mean and what doesn't it mean? How do Americans and non-Americans view it differently? In our conversation, we attempt to tease out some answers.

(By the way, my apologies for the poor sound quality in this episode. I'll certainly do my best to fix it for the next episode!)

Link to episode transcript: https://american-idiom.com/f/004-the-american-dream

***For English learners! - Detailed Vocabulary Lesson begins at 30:50***

Vocabulary and Examples (Starts at 30:50)

“to make it” (used at 2:10, 4:19, 7:09, 9:48, and explained at 31:17)
"to get ahead” (used at 3:01, 3:11, 3:15 and 3:17 and explained at 33:31)
“to get by” (used at 3:09 and explained at 33:53)
“to throw (one)'s hat in the ring” (used at 4:04 and explained at 37:00)
"to wear (something) on your sleeve" (used at 13:28 and explained at 39:01)
“to sell (someone) short” (used at 21:21 and explained at 41:53)
“to be fed up with (something)” (used at 25:56 and explained at 43:53)

Brentoni's English Podcast

004 The American Dream

        李白(701- 762), 是中国唐朝时期著名的诗人，他小时候对学习很不感兴趣，经常跑到外边玩儿。一天，李白在河边发现一位老婆婆竟然在磨一根铁棒子。李白觉得很好奇，就走过去问老婆婆在干什么，原来老婆婆的孙女要学绣花，她要给孙女做一根绣花针。
        李白听完以后，像大部分孩子一样哈哈大笑，因为他认为把铁棒子磨成绣花针太浪费时间了，等老婆婆磨好了，她孙女可能也变成老婆婆了。可是，老婆婆自信地告诉他：“只要功夫深，铁杆磨成针。”
        听完老婆婆的回答，李白突然明白了一个道理：无论做什么事情，只要坚持就可能成功。从此，李白就开始努力学习、积累知识，最终成为一名伟大的诗人。

        看完这个谚语故事，你知道努力和坚持对成功有多么重要了吧？

功夫 [gōng fu] workmanship; skill
铁杵磨成针[tiě chǔ mó chénɡ zhēn]
an iron pestle can be ground down to a needle — perseverance will prevail
老婆婆[lǎo po pó] granny(used by children in addressing an old woman)
绣花[xiù huā]embroider; do embroidery


Li Bai (701- 762) was a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty of China. When he was young, Li Bai was not interested in learning at all, and he often went out playing. One day, Li Bai saw an old woman grinding an iron pestle by the river. He felt so curious that he went over and asked the old woman what she was doing . It turned out that she was making a needle for her granddaughter to learn embroidery. 
Having heard this, Li Bai laughed as most kids would do, because he thought it was a waste of time to grind an iron pestle into a needle and that by the day the needle was made, her granddaughter would have turned into an old woman herself. However, the old woman told him with confidence: "As long as you work hard enough, an iron pestle can be ground down to a needle." 
Suddenly Li Bai realized that perseverance would help one succeed in everything. From then on, Li Bai began to study hard and accumulate knowledge. He finally became a great poet! 
After reading this story, you must have learned how important hard work and perseverance are to success.

HSK6 Vocab Based - Short Story Podcast

04. 中国谚语--只要功夫深, 铁杵磨成针 Chinese proverb - As Long as You Work Hard Enough, an Iron Pestle Can Be Ground Down to a Needle 

东汉时期，有个叫乐羊子的人，他有一位非常贤惠的妻子。

乐羊子到远方去求学，一年后，乐羊子回来了。
妻子问他为何这么快回家,他说:“出门时间一长就想家，没有什么别的原因。"

妻子听完拿起一把刀走到织布机前，说:“这织布机上的蚕丝一根一根地积累起来,才有一寸长; 一寸寸积累起来,才有一丈乃至一匹长。今天如果我将它割断，就会前功尽弃。

读书也是如此，你积累学问，应该每天获得新的知识，从而使自己的品行更加完美。
如果半途而废，和割断的丝有什么不同呢?"

乐羊子从妻子的话里得到很大启发，于是又继续去完成学业，整整七年没有回家。

成语“半途而废”指的就是事情没有完成而终止, 事情还没有做完就放弃了。
 
**在这儿我给大家解释一下，故事里提到的一寸是0.033米，一丈是3.33米，一匹是大概33米。


贤惠 xiánhuì virtuous
织布机 zhī bù jī  loom, knitting machine
蚕丝 cánsī  natural silk
割断 gē duàn sever ; cut off
前功尽弃 qián gōng jìn qì  waste all the previous efforts
品行pǐn xíng  conduct; behaviour
启发qǐ fā  inspire
终止 zhōng zhǐ terminate, termination


举例：
1.这项工作一定要坚持完成，绝不能半途而废。
2.就快到山顶了，大家继续坚持，千万不要半途而废啊！

03. 成语故事—半途而废Idiom Stories--bàn tú ér fèi 

春秋时代，齐国有个人叫毛空，他爱听那些没有根据的传说，然后再把自己听到的津津有味地讲给别人听。

有一次，毛空听到一只鸭和一块肉的事，他觉得非常稀奇，便告诉他的朋友艾子。他说:“有一个人，养了一只特别能生蛋的鸭，那鸭一天能生一百多个蛋。” 他见艾子笑了，又说:“那天，从天上掉下一块肉，那块肉长有三十丈, 宽有十丈。”

艾子笑着问道:“真的吗?有那样长的肉吗?” 毛空急忙说:“噢，那就是长二十丈。”艾子仍不相信。

他又改口:“一定是十丈长了。” 艾子说:“你说的那只鸭是谁家养的?你说的那块肉掉在了什么地方?” 毛空支支吾吾说不出来，只好说:“我是在路上听别人说的。”

后来人们就用“道听途说”这个成语指不可靠的，没有根据的传闻。

举例：

现在网络这么发达，在网上我们可以看到各种各样的信息，有些并非是真的。我们需要有自己的想法，而且要正确地判断那些信息的真实性，不要道听途说，否则就变成散播谣言啦。




In the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a man named Mao Kong in the state of Qi. He liked to listen to those baseless legends, and then told others what he heard with interest.
Once, when Mao Kong heard about a duck and a piece of meat, he felt very strange, so he told his friend Aizi. He said, "There was a man who raised a duck that can lay eggs. That duck can lay more than 100 eggs a day." Seeing AI Zi smiling, he said, "That day, a piece of meat fell from the sky. It was 300 feet long and 100 feet wide."
AI Zi smiled and asked, "Really? Is there REALLY such long meat?" Mao Kong hurriedly said, "Oh, that's twenty feet long, then." AI Zi still doesn't believe it.
He changed his words again: "It must be 200 feet long." AI Zi said, "Who raised the duck you said? Where did the meat you said fall?" Maokong hesitated and couldn't say it, so he had to say, "I listened to others on the road."
Later, people used the idiom "dào tīng tú shuō" to refer to unreliable and groundless rumors.

An example:
Now the Internet is so developed that we get all kinds of information online, some of which are not true. We need to have our own ideas and correctly judge the authenticity of those information. Don't listen to hearsay, otherwise it will become spreading rumors.