About the Author
Born in Shanghai in 1949, ZHANG Ciyun (Peter) graduated from Jilin Normal University, PRC with a major in English and later from Stanford University in the United States with a Master's Degree in Journalism. Since 1980, he has worked for several newspapers and magazines in both Beijing and Shanghai. Also, he once served in the General Office of the Ministry of Communications as an interpreter and the Information Office of Shanghai Municipality as its Deputy General Director. An acclaimed translator, reporter and editor,
Mr.Zhang has helped bring into existence four English-language newspapers on the Chinese mainland,namely, China Daily, Beijing Weekend, Shanghai Star and Shanghai Daily. He is now the Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of Shanghai Daily and an executive council member of Translation Association of China.He has translated and co-translated more than a dozen books and a large amount of documents, includingStrange Stories of Liao Zhai Studio and the English version of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. He has also published many English and Chinese articles and theses in newspapers and magazines both in China and overseas.
It is a pity that.more often than not, a wrong step cannot be retaken or changed for the better.In such cases, English speakers are likely to recall the saying, "It's no use crying over spilt milk," while most Clunese will cite the idiom Fu Shui Nan Shou.or"spilt water cannot be retrieved."
Unlike other Chinese idioms, this popular four-character phrase has three different stories explaining its origin.
Of the three, the most widely accepted is about a divorce case involving one of the most famous strategists in Chinese history who achieved success very late in his career.
Jiang Taigong, who Iived during the late 11th century BC.martied a woman named Ma when he was a poor young scholar.
Jiang cared little about material things and devoted almost all his time and energy to studying history and military strategies and tactics.
After living in abject poverty with Jiang for several years, Ma got fed up with this "bookworm." who in her belief was not likely ever to become rich or famous.So she divorced him and left.
