A Chinese Idiom

First a little backstory: Shanghai is a very modern city, but if you look closer you can see the magnificent culture. Especially on the east side of the Huangpu River (Puxi) you can see the historical beauty of this city. Many countries influenced this city, especially the French but you can also find traditional Chinese culture. For example the famous Yu Yuan Garden, which is one of the most beautiful gardens in China, and definitely one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Although I got lost twice in the garden (direction signs aren’t really present) I really enjoyed my time there.

As I rambled on the seemingly endless paths of the garden I came across this inscription on the wall. Most people just passed by, but I found it quite fascinating. So I made a few pictures to maybe translate it later on. Back in my apartment I tried to find out the meaning of these characters, which were really hard to write for me. Although I checked every explanation of the characters, they just didn’t make sense together. Soon I would find out why, but for the moment I couldn't figure it out.

A few days later I left Shanghai, and went to Beijing with the high-speed train (1200km in 5 hours). A little bit bored I  got out my laptop und scrolled through some pictures, when I found the inscription again. I decided to change my strategy, and just ask the Chinese man who was sitting next to me. His English wasn’t really good, and my Mandarin was even worse. But he was really nice, and with Google Translator & co. we could eventually figure out what it means. The first thing he told me, was that the Characters were traditional. And traditional characters have to be read from right to left, and not from left to right. And that’s why they didn’t make sense when I tried to translate them. So the literal meaning of these 4 characters is: The mountain road twists around each new peak. The figurative meaning is that opportunities just come unexpectedly, and that things often take a new turn. Just imagine walking on this mountain path, and every mountain you bypass a new scenery appears, which may lead to an even more beautiful view. So better keep walking!

Florian