For example, "竹解虛心是我師" means that the bamboo with hollow stems is like an open-minded person who is qualified as our teacher.
Is there any other example in your language?
A pine can bear snow on branches in the winter which is referred to that a man with tolerance .
In English that's called a metaphor. From my experience, many Chinese metaphors (including your example), reference nature or natural things. Trees, rivers, etc. I have by my side a copy of the Tao Te Ching...there are many examples in this book. There are also examples in English. At the moment, there is a quote from Benjamin Franklin that comes to my mind: "a rolling stone gathers no moss". This means a person who wanders ("a rolling stone") doesn't establish lasting relationships or a reputation.
@Alex. thanks for your explanation and example.
Would you like to tell me which language is the book "Tao Te Ching" written in?
