Consort Zhuang doesn't want palace intrigue; she just wants to raise her child and live a caref

Chapter 232 Sparrows and Magpies

"That's right. It's not just the myna, but also the parrots. They are all famous for their ability to mimic various sounds."

Canglan Jingyao blinked her big, bright eyes and looked at her mother with curiosity. Then she asked questions in rapid succession: "Mother, since their names all have the character 'magpie' in them, why do sparrows seem so clumsy?"

Hearing her daughter's innocent question, Su Nuannuan couldn't help but smile and patiently replied, "Cheng'er, Yao'er, you should know that the 'sparrow' in 'sparrow' and the 'magpie' in 'magpie' are not the same word!" With that, she gently picked up the brush that had been prepared beforehand, slowly dipped it in the freshly ground ink, and then began to carefully write the words "sparrow" and "magpie" on the snow-white Xuan paper.

After finishing writing, Su Nuannuan gently placed the brush back on the brush holder. Then, she stretched out her slender finger and pointed to the character "雀" (que, sparrow) in the word "麻雀" (máquè, sparrow), explaining softly, "Look, this is the '雀' in '麻雀' (máquè, sparrow). It is actually a pictographic character, and it represents a tiny little bird."

Take a closer look, do you see the character '小' (small) on it? This means that the bird we are talking about, the sparrow, is quite petite and delicate, belonging to the type of small and cute bird.

Below the character for "small" is the character for "bird" (隹), which can be used to refer generally to all birds with relatively short tails.

Canglan Jingcheng, who had been listening attentively, suddenly asked, "Mother, does Yun Que also use the character 'Que'?"

"That's right. Whether it's a lark or a yellow-rumped warbler, the word 'warbler' in their names represents the common characteristics of this type of bird."

It's important to know that finches typically have relatively short legs, and their wings and tails are also not long, so they spend most of their time looking for food around the houses where people live.

Birds like sparrows, larks, and yellow-rumped warblers, which we often see, are simply different members of the sparrow family.

"Let's talk about magpies. The 'magpie' here refers to a bird that can fly both high and fast."

Magpies have long tails, which makes them more elegant and graceful when they fly in the air; not only that, magpies are agile and good at flying, and they can fly very fast. What's even more impressive is that they can fly quite high in the air. Su Nuannuan pointed to the character "鹊" (que) in the word "喜鹊" (xique, meaning magpie) and explained.

“Speaking of these two kinds of sparrows, there are quite a few related idioms, such as cheering and jumping for joy, being completely silent, having the ambition of a sparrow, becoming famous, and taking over someone else's nest.”

At this moment, Su Nuannuan smiled and looked at the two little ones in front of her, and asked softly, "Now, Mother Consort is going to test you. Which sparrow is the 'sparrow' in 'jumping with joy'?"

Upon hearing the question, Canglan Jingyao raised her little hand without hesitation and excitedly replied, "Mother, I know this. It's the 'sparrow' in 'sparrow.' I saw this word before when Granny was reading with me. At that time, I didn't recognize all four characters, so I specifically asked Granny for help!" After saying that, she looked at Su Nuannuan with a proud expression.

Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan smiled with satisfaction and gently praised, "Yao'er is really amazing."

Upon hearing her mother's lavish praise, Canglan Jingyao felt an overwhelming surge of joy. Then, with a hint of smugness, she turned her gaze to her brother, Canglan Jingcheng, who was sitting to the side. Canglan Jingyao raised her chin, her eyes revealing a hint of pride and smugness.

When Cang Lan Jingcheng noticed his younger sister's smug little face, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. He pouted and muttered under his breath, "Hmph, what's so great about her?" Although his voice wasn't loud, Su Nuannuan, with her sharp ears, still caught it.

Su Nuannuan smiled at her son, who looked displeased, and then explained, "Birds always like to chirp and hop happily between branches. People use the word 'jumping with joy' to describe that happy and joyful appearance."

After hearing his mother's explanation, Cang Lan Jingcheng's curiosity was immediately piqued, and he couldn't wait to ask, "Mother, what about the 'utter silence'?"

Su Nuannuan smiled slightly and continued, "If a huge, ferocious bird suddenly flew in, those normally lively little birds would definitely be terrified, right? They might be too scared to make a sound, and the whole forest would become quiet. In this situation, we can say that it is 'utterly silent'."

At this moment, Canglan Jingyao, not to be outdone, interjected, "Then how should we understand 'the ambition of a sparrow'?"

Su Nuannuan did not answer her daughter's question directly, but instead asked in return, "Think about it, aren't sparrows usually quite small and delicate?"

The two children exchanged a glance, nodded, and replied in unison, "Yes!"

After receiving affirmative answers from the children, Su Nuannuan continued to patiently guide them, saying, "Since sparrows are relatively small, can such small birds fly very high and very far?"

“Mother, I understand. Birds are called ‘sparrows’ because they can’t fly very high or far, just like swallows and sparrows,” Canglan Jingcheng answered quickly.

“Cheng’er is half right. Because sparrows are birds that usually cannot fly too high or too far, people generally regard this as a symbol of a lack of lofty ambitions, and thus the saying ‘sparrow’s ambition’ has been derived to describe the ambitions of those who are short-sighted.”

Just as Canglan Jingyao was about to ask further questions, her words were abruptly cut off by her mother.

Then, Su Nuannuan continued her explanation: "Next, your mother will tell you about the idioms 'rising to fame' and 'usurping someone else's place'."

First, let's talk about the idiom "名声鹊起" (míng shēng què qǐ). It means that someone's or something's reputation suddenly becomes very famous, and their popularity rises rapidly. The reason it uses the character "鹊" (què), which means magpie, is because magpies are known for their extremely fast and high-flying characteristics. If we replace "鹊" with "雀" (què), the meaning of the entire idiom changes completely. The original positive connotation could instantly turn into a negative one, so this is something to be careful about.

Next, let's discuss the idiom "the cuckoo seizes the magpie's nest." Imagine this scene: magpies, skilled at building nests, painstakingly construct their cozy little homes, only to have their hard-earned achievements ruthlessly seized by the fierce cuckoo. This act of the cuckoo forcibly occupying the magpie's nest is the origin of the idiom, referring to someone who seizes another's dwelling without working for it.