Amazing the World with a Single FeatIn the Warring States Period, Duke Wei of Qi neglected state affairs, for the first three years of his reign, giving himself over to dissipation. One of his minister, Chun Yukun who had a good sense of humour, said to him:”There is a big bird which has neigher taken wing nor sung for three years.” The duke answered, “Once that bird starts to fly and sing, it will astonish the world.” The duke thereupon devoted himself to his duties and built his state up into a powerful one.This idiom is used to indicate that a person may rise from obscurity and achieve greatness.战国时代，齐威王即位后作了三年国君，只顾享乐，不理政事。有个善于说笑话的人叫淳于髡，一天对齐威王说：“城里有一只大鸟，三年不飞也不叫，你知道这是什么道理？”齐威王说：“这鸟不飞则罢，一飞就冲天；不鸣则罢，一鸣就惊人。”在淳于髡的激发下，齐威王开始治理国家，取得很大成绩，齐国的声威一直保持了几十年。
英语故事:破镜重圆
A Broken Mirror Joined Together
This set phrase metaphorically means the reunion of husband and wife after an enforced separation or a rupture.
At the end of Southern Dynasties,when the Chen Dynasty was about to be overthrown.
Xú Déyán felt very worried.He foreknew that his wife Princess Lè Chāng was destined to separate from him.
His wife is the last Emperor Chén Shūbǎo's younger sister.
Hence he broke a round bronze mirror into halves.
One half is given to the Princess,the other half left with himself.
The couple agreed on it that the wife would pretend to sell the broked mirror in the street of Cháng'ān,the capital of the Suí Dynasty,on the Lantern Festival.
After the fall of Chén Dynasty,Princess Lè Chāng was captured and sent to Chang'an and forced to be a concubine-servant in the mansion of Yáng Sù.
Xú Déyán missed his wife very much and went to the captial to look for her.
On the 15th day of the first lunar month,he found a man selling half the mirror.
After asking the man,he knew that his wife had been a concubine-servant of Yáng Sù. Thinking that he could not see her again,he sighed a great sorrow.
Having known the matter,Yáng Sù felt much sympathy for the couple.He sent for Xú Déyán and told him to take wife away.Thus the husband and the wife were reunited into a happy couple.
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