Dear Steemit friends:
Welcome to another edition of my world of idioms. If you missed my other posts, you can find them here (Part 1,Part 2,Part 3)
This time, we're taking a look at a two part allegory. The phrase is actually commonly used in many other languages including English and is derived from life wisdom. The first part of the phrase ties together with the second part, which serves as the moral. Kind of like uncovering the answer to a riddle.
One man's meat is another man's poison
From inspection, the English version of this idiom would suggest that one persons opinion of something can be the polar opposite to another. This is indeed the message and moral of the idiom. In Chinese, the direct translation is "A Radish or a Cabbage, each has their preference". Of course, we know that these two vegetables are completely different, whether it's shape, size, colour, or nutritional composition, people will have a preference for one over the other. A lot of these differences of opinions will come down to how each person cultivates their preferences in all aspects of life, be it their hobbies, manners, communication style or aesthetic standard, it's what gives humans their diversity and is the nature of human beings.
The english version, One man's meat is another man's poison is interesting because it isn't making a comparison of two things, rather, it is expressing the view that even on singular items, there can be very distinct attitudes and feelings towards them.
This reminds me of the King of Fruit's - Durian. This fruit originates from Malaysia but now the most popular produce largely comes from Thailand. If you've ever been even remotely close to a Durian fruit, you will know the very distinct and characteristic smell of it. To some people, it's an appealing smell, to others it smells rotten. In the words of Margaret Thatcher :
"I seem to smell the stench of appeasement in the air."
So, is Durian your dessert or poison?
Durian is widely known in Asia so most people have a clear opinion about it already, in the west, the most comparable thing I can think of is Marmite, the saying is you either love or hate it. To those that hate it, it's like a punishment eating "The most disgusting food".
Marmite is made by fermenting yeast extract and is a common food spread in Britain.
Marmite is a little salty, and is a little similar to Soy. It's black and very thick. Whether you love it or hate it, the taste of Marmite leaves a strong impression in people's minds.
Usually Marmite is used as a spread on bread, consuming it can be a very messy process. So, which is it? Lovers of Marmite unite? Or death to Marmite and those who love it?!
Another popular saying with the same meaning is, "One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure". Can you think of a time when you bought something from a car boot sale you thought was an absolute steal? Or thought you got a great deal on ebay? That's exactly the reason why second hand markets exist, whether it's to sell or buy clothes, cars, computers you name it. One person's trash could be another's treasure.
The story behind the idiom
Actually, people frequently misunderstand the original idea behind this idiom. For example, a person is fond of eating apples so he thinks fish will like apple's as well. He uses apples as bait when fishing and catches no fish. I wonder why?
The moral : Don't assert our own aspirations on other people. They may completely disagree with you!
Okay, i'll admit, I like sushi so I assume everyone around me does too..
Including my cat Amber
Hope you enjoyed this edition of My World of Idioms, i'm curious to know, do you guys love or hate Marmite and Durian? Let me know in the comments below!
今天我想和大家聊一聊生活中一些好玩的语句，我之前介绍过很多中国的成语，你可以在这里找到。Part 1,Part 2,Part 3. 萝卜白菜 各有所爱这句话最早出现在傅光明的文章中，萝卜、青菜都是大家熟悉的蔬菜，它们的外型和内部的营养结构都有很大的区别。但是，有的人爱吃萝卜，有人爱吃白菜。比喻各人有各人的爱好，每个人的爱好出自于人的本性，处事方式、社交方式、审美观点都不一样。 在英文里，有趣的翻译，一个人的美食也许是另一个人的毒药。这让我想起榴莲，它是热带的水果之王，起源于马来西亚，现如今泰国生产的榴莲最有名气。它最大的特点莫过于这个水果本身的味道，一股浓烈气味，喜欢的人认为这股浓烈的味道是香气，而讨厌它的人则认为是臭味。所以榴莲，是你心中的美食还是毒药呢？不得不提的还有这一样食物----我们叫它Marmite，当然它最常见的名字还是“我吃过的最难吃的东西”。它是用酵母菌发酵而成，是英国传统食品的代表之一。它吃起来非常咸，像酱油，颜色黑乎乎的，又非常粘稠，基本不会给人留下好影响。它一般都涂抹在面包上吃，每次用刀侩必然弄的哪里都是。当然有时候也会这么说：一个人的垃圾是另一个人的宝贝。这大概也是为什么每个人都需要二手交易平台，买衣服，买车，买电脑...
If you are interested in my other blogs related to "Chinese Culture" please check out these other blogs below^^
Unravelling the mysteries of Ancient Chinese Opera.Taking Steemit to one of the 8th wonders of the world^ ^
Impressions of China--Taking Steemians back to the Tang Dynasty.
Capturing the Spirit of the Uyghurs through Ink Wash Painting.
A thousand years ago, I was an Empress!
Welcome to my world of Idioms #1.
Welcome to my world of Idioms #2 .
Welcome to my world of Idioms #3.
