In this essay you’ll learn to read Chinese martial arts words – well, a few, anyway – but it’s not really the vocabulary that places this in the “advanced” category. It’s more that most of the text is full of wax-on, wax-off Karate Kid statements, as the martial arts master talks about how putting oneself […]
一名剑客去拜访一位武林泰斗，请教他是如何练就非凡武艺的。武林泰斗拿出一把只有一尺长的剑，说:“多亏了它，才让我有了今天的成就。”
剑客大为不解，问:“别人的剑都是三尺三寸长的，而你的剑为什么只有一尺长呢?兵器谱上说:剑短一分，险增三分。拿着这么短的剑无疑是处于一种劣势，你怎么还说这剑好呢?”
武林泰斗说:“就因为在兵器上我处于劣势，所以我才会时时刻刻想到，如果与别人对阵，我会是多么的危险，所以我只有勤练剑招，以剑招之长补兵器之短，这样一来，我的剑招不断进步，劣势就转化为优势了。”
的确，优势和劣势有时候并不是绝对的。把自己放在劣势，就是给自己压力，为自己注入进取的动力，敢于把自己放在劣势的人，最终就有可能把劣势转化成为优势，从而取得胜利。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一 | yī | one; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out … |
| 名 | míng | name; noun (part of speech); place (e.g. among winners); famous; classifier for people |
| 剑客 | jiàn kè | swordsman |
| 去 | qù | to go; to go to (a place); (of a time etc) last; just passed; to send; to remove; to get rid of; to reduce; to be apart from in space or time; to die (euphemism); to play (a part);… |
| 拜 | bǎi | to bow to; to pay one's respects; to make a courtesy call; to acknowledge sb as one's (master, godfather etc) |
| 访 | fǎng | (bound form) to seek by inquiry; (bound form) to visit; to call on |
| 位 | wèi | position; location; place; seat; classifier for people (honorific); classifier for binary bits (e.g. 十六位 16-bit or 2 bytes); (physics) potential |
| 武林 | wǔ lín | martial arts (social) circles |
| 泰 | tǎi | Mt Tai 泰山[Tai4 Shan1] in Shandong |
| 斗 | Dǒu | abbr. for the Big Dipper constellation 北斗星[Bei3 dou3 xing1]; to fight; to struggle; to condemn; to censure; to contend; to put together; coming together; variant of 鬭|斗[dou4]; variant of 鬥|斗[dou4] |
| 请教 | qǐng jiào | to ask for guidance; to consult |
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2]) |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 如何 | rú hé | how; what way; what |
| 练 | liàn | to practice; to train; to drill; to perfect (one's skill); exercise; (literary) white silk; to boil and scour raw silk |
| 就 | jìu | (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precise… |
| 非凡 | fēi fán | out of the ordinary; unusually (good, talented etc) |
| 武 | Wǔ | surname Wu |
| 艺 | yì | skill; art |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 拿出 | ná chū | to take out; to put out; to provide; to put forward (a proposal); to come up with (evidence) |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the ob… |
| 只有 | zhǐ yǒu | only have ...; there is only ...; (used in combination with 才[cai2]) it is only if ... (that one can ...) (as in 只有通過治療才能痊愈|只有通过治疗才能痊愈[zhi3 you3 tong1 guo4 zhi4 liao2 cai2 neng2 qu… |
| 尺 | chě | one of the characters used to represent a musical note in gongche notation, 工尺譜|工尺谱[gong1 che3 pu3] |
| 长 | cháng | long; (bound form) length; (bound form) strong point; forte; (bound form) to be good at; (literary) surplus; spare (Taiwan pr. [zhang4]) |
| 剑 | jiàn | double-edged sword; CL:口[kou3],把[ba3]; classifier for blows of a sword; variant of 劍|剑[jian4] |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 多 | duō | many; much; more; a lot of; too many; in excess; (after a numeral) ... odd; how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. [duo2]); (bound form) multi-; poly- |
| 亏 | kui | to lose (money); to have a deficit; to treat unfairly; (used to introduce an ironic remark about sb who has fallen short of expectations) |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 它 | tā | it; it (pronoun for an animal) |
| 才 | cái | ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual; then and only then; just now; (before an expression of quantity) only; (emphatic, esp. in contrast or correction) reall…; (variant of 才[cai2]) just now; (variant of 才[cai2]) (before an expression of quantity) only |
| 让 | ràng | to yield; to permit; to let sb do sth; to have sb do sth; to make sb (feel sad etc); by (indicates the agent in a passive clause, like 被[bei4]) |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 有了 | yǒu le | I've got a solution!; to have a bun in the oven (abbr. for 有了胎[you3 le5 tai1]) |
| 今天 | jīn tiān | today; the present time; now |
| 成就 | chéng jìu | accomplishment; success; achievement; CL:個|个[ge4]; to achieve (a result); to create; to bring about |
| 大为 | dà wéi | very; greatly |
| 不解 | bù jiě | to not understand; to be puzzled by; indissoluble |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 别人 | bié ren | other people; others; other person |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 三 | Sān | surname San |
| 寸 | cùn | a unit of length; inch; thumb |
| 而 | ér | and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast) |
| 你 | nǐ | you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您[nin2]); you (Note: In Taiwan, 妳 is used to address females, but in mainland China, it is not commonly used. Instead, 你 is used to address both males and females.) |
| 为 | wéi | as (in the capacity of); to take sth as; to act as; to serve as; to behave as; to become; to be; to do; by (in the passive voice); variant of 為|为[wei2] |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 呢 | ne | (sentence-final particle) used in questions to link back to prior discourse or context ("what about...?", "and...?"); (sentence-final particle) indicating that a state or situation… |
| 兵 | bing | soldiers; an army; arms; warlike |
| 器 | qì | device; tool; utensil; CL:臺|台[tai2] |
| 谱 | pú | chart; table; score (music); to set to music |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 短 | duǎn | short; brief; to lack; weak point; fault |
| 分 | fēn | to divide; to separate; to distribute; to allocate; to distinguish (good and bad); (bound form) branch of (an organization); sub- (as in 分局[fen1 ju2]); fraction; one tenth (of cert… |
| 险 | xiǎn | danger; dangerous; rugged |
| 增 | zēng | (bound form) to increase; to augment; to add to |
| 三分 | sān fēn | somewhat; to some degree |
| 拿 | ná | old variant of 拿[na2]; variant of 拿[na2]; to hold; to seize; to catch; to apprehend; to take; (used in the same way as 把[ba3]: to mark the following noun as a direct object) |
| 着 | zhāo | variant of 著|着[zhao1]; a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuo2]); trick; tactic; (dialect) okay; all right; (dialect) to put in; to add |
| 这么 | zhè me | so much; this much; how much?; this way; like this |
| 无疑 | wú yí | undoubtedly; without doubt; for sure |
| 处于 | chǔ yú | to be in (some state, position, or condition) |
| 一种 | yī zhǒng | one kind of; one type of |
| 劣 | liě | inferior |
| 势 | shì | power; influence; potential; momentum; tendency; trend; situation; conditions; outward appearance; sign; gesture; male genitals |
| 怎 | zěn | how |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 这 | zhè | (pronoun) this; these; (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun); (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. [zhei4], esp. in Beijing) |
| 好 | hǎo | good; appropriate; proper; all right!; (before a verb) easy to; (before a verb) good to; (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so; (verb complement indicating completion); (… |
| 因为 | yīn wèi | because; owing to; on account of |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 所以 | suǒ yǐ | therefore; as a result; so; the reason why |
| 会 | huì | can; to have the skill; to know how to; to be likely to; to be sure to; to meet; to get together; meeting; gathering; (suffix) union; group; association; (bound form) a moment (Tai… |
| 时时 | shí shí | often; constantly |
| 刻 | kè | quarter (hour); moment; to carve; to engrave; to cut; oppressive; classifier for short time intervals |
| 想到 | xiǎng dào | to think of; to call to mind; to anticipate |
| 如 | rú | as; as if; such as |
| 果 | guǒ | fruit; result; resolute; indeed; if really |
| 与 | yú | variant of 歟|欤[yu2] |
| 对阵 | duì zhèn | (of armies) to face each other, ready for battle; (sports) (of two teams) to play against each other |
| 多么 | duō me | how (wonderful etc); what (a great idea etc); however (difficult it may be etc); (in interrogative sentences) how (much etc); to what extent |
| 危险 | wēi xiǎn | danger; dangerous |
| 勤 | qín | diligent; industrious; hardworking; frequent; regular; constant; (bound form) work; duty; attendance; (literary) diligent; industrious; hardworking (variant of 勤[qin2]); (literary) solicitous; attentive |
| 招 | zhao | to recruit; to beckon; to infect; a move (chess); device; to confess |
| 以 | yǐ | old variant of 以[yi3]; abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yi3 se4 lie4] |
| 之 | zhī | (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5]); him; her; it |
| 补 | bǔ | to repair; to patch; to mend; to make up for; to fill (a vacancy); to supplement |
| 样 | yàng | manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape; classifier: kind, type |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 不断 | bù duàn | unceasing; uninterrupted; continuous; constant |
| 进步 | jìn bù | progress; improvement; to improve; to progress |
| 转化 | zhuǎn huà | to change; to turn; to convert; (genetics) to transform; (chemistry) isomerization |
| 优 | you | excellent |
| 的确 | dí què | really; indeed |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 有时 | yǒu shí | sometimes; now and then |
| 候 | hòu | to wait; to inquire after; to watch; season; climate; (old) period of five days |
| 并 | bìng | and; furthermore; also; together with; (not) at all; simultaneously; to combine; to join; to merge; to combine; to amalgamate; short name for Taiyuan 太原[Tai4 yuan2]; variant of 並|并[bing4] |
| 不是 | bù shì | no; is not; not |
| 绝对 | jué duì | absolute; unconditional |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 放 | fàng | to put; to place; to release; to free; to let go; to let out; to set off (fireworks) |
| 就是 | jìu shì | exactly; precisely; only; simply; just; (used correlatively with 也[ye3]) even; even if |
| 给 | gěi | to; for; for the benefit of; to give; to allow; to do sth (for sb); (grammatical equivalent of 被); (grammatical equivalent of 把); (sentence intensifier) |
| 压力 | yā lì | pressure |
| 注 | zhù | (bound form) to pour into; to flow into; to inject; (bound form) to focus (one's spirit, gaze etc) on a single point; to concentrate; (bound form) stake (in gambling); classifier f…; to annotate; to provide explanatory notes on a written text; an annotation; an explanatory note; (bound form) to put on record; to register |
| 入 | rù | to enter; to go into; to join; to become a member of; (bound form) to conform to (as in 入時|入时[ru4 shi2]); abbr. for 入聲|入声[ru4 sheng1]; (on product packaging, after {number n} + {cl… |
| 进取 | jìn qǔ | to show initiative; to be a go-getter; to push forward with one's agenda |
| 动力 | dòng lì | motive power; (fig.) motivation; impetus |
| 敢 | gǎn | to dare; daring; (polite) may I venture |
| 于 | Yú | surname Yu; (of time or place) in; at; on; (indicating any indirect relation) to; toward; vis-à-vis; with regard to; for; (indicating a source) from; out of; (used in comparison) than; (used i… |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 最 | zuì | variant of 最[zui4]; old variant of 最[zui4]; (before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est; (after 之[zhi1]) best or most extreme example (e.g. 世界之最[shi4 jie4 zhi1 zui4] "the greatest in the world") |
| 终 | zhong | end |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 可 | kě | (prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very; but; however |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 成为 | chéng wéi | to become; to turn into |
| 从而 | cóng ér | thus; thereby |
| 取得 | qǔ dé | to acquire; to get; to obtain |
| 胜利 | shèng lì | victory; CL:個|个[ge4] |
A swordsman went to pay a visit to a martial arts master [literally: a leading figure in martial arts circles] to ask for guidance on how to train [so as to attain] exceptional martial skill. The martial arts master took out a sword that was only 1 foot long, and said: “Thanks to this, I’ve accomplished what I have today.”
Bewildered, the swordsman asked, “Other people’s swords are all 3 feet 3 inches long, so why is yours only one foot long? The weapons chart says that: if your sword is one-fold shorter, the danger to you is threefold greater. Using this short of a sword undoubtedly places you at a disadvantage, how can you say this is a good sword?”
The martial arts master said: “That’s precisely it – my weapon puts me at a disadvantage, so I must always be thinking that if I’m up against another person in a fight, the danger to me is greater, and all I have is my diligently practiced sword maneuvers, so the “length” of my maneuvers must make up for the shortness of my sword; thus, I’m always improving, and a disadvantage is transformed into an advantage.
Indeed, “advantage” and “disadvantage” really isn’t always set in stone. If you put yourself at a disadvantage, you put pressure on yourself, pouring into yourself the power to forge ahead; those who dare to place themselves in an inferior position, can perhaps in the end turn their disadvantage into an advantage, and thereby achieve victory.