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Hyperbole
Definition of Idiom
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the words in the phrase. For... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on... read full definition
Idioms
Explanation and Analysis—Good Prayers:
In "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers," Mr. Shi uses the Chinese idiom, xiu bai shi ke tong zhou, to explain how he feels about the relationship between him and his daughter—namely, that it takes 1,000 years of good prayers for such a relationship to come about. He says:
There’s a reason for every relationship, that’s what the saying means. …People don’t end up randomly as father and daughter, that’s for sure. But the daughter, she doesn’t understand this. She must be thinking I’m a nuisance. She prefers I shut up because that’s how she’s known me always. She doesn’t understand that I didn’t talk much with her mother and her because I was a rocket scientist back then. … We were trained not to talk.
In many Chinese cultures, there is a common belief that one’s actions will affect their next life. Mr. Shi believes that he must have said many prayers in his previous life to have a daughter. This idiom encapsulates Mr. Shi's love for his daughter. It is his way of trying to convey that he wants to help his daughter.
At the same time, Mr. Shi's expression of love for his daughter highlights the present distance between them. Mr. Shi believes that his daughter does not understand how special their bond is. He thinks that she does not see that his actions and questions are coming from a place of love. Mr. Shi recognizes that he did not communicate much in the past, but in his eyes, he feels that it was a sacrifice worth making as a rocket scientist. As a result, he tries to justify his lack of communication by saying that his job required him to not talk. In reality, Mr. Shi's daughter does not want to talk to him because she knows that he lied about his job and had an affair. Mr. Shi sees his daughter as willfully misunderstanding and she sees her father as a hypocrite. The use of the Chinese idiom underscores the failure of their relationship.
Related Themes:
