Author: Guo Zhikun and Chen Xueliang

Publishing House: Shanghai People's Publishing House

Publishing Time: July 2019

Idioms are part of a person's historical memory. They are simple but meaningful, which is the essence of history. The book General History of China in Idioms uses Chinese dynasties as the framework to link idioms of different historical periods to tell the general history of China in a vivid folk style. Idioms' backgrounds often reference ancient classic books, myths or archaeological materials. Idioms from the same historical period are classified together to elaborate the features of the dynasty. Idioms contain historical experience and references.  

Idioms contain people's feelings of hatred and love. People usually use the idiom "Every man in the street is aware of Sima Zhao's intent (司马昭之心，路人皆知)" to express their contempt and resentment for anyone who fancies him clever but actually is stupid. 

Idioms can also reflect the peaceful development of China as a peace-loving nation. For example, an idiom of the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC), "Leave one side of the net open (网开一面)", embodies the peaceful philosophy underlying Chinese people's interpersonal relations. The idiom "Weapons put in storage and horses sent back to Nanshan mountain"（刀枪入库，马放南山） vividly reflects the ancient Chinese people's love and yearning for peace. There are a large number of such idioms created in ancient times to show the spirit of peace and the concept of comity of Chinese people.

Many selected idioms in the book express the Chinese people's love of the people and the country. For example, "Those who win the hearts of the people win the world"（得民心者得天下） embodies ancient people's love for the country and the people. 

The idioms of this book also reflect the spirit of Chinese people's self-improvement and diligence. The idioms "Exert oneself constantly (自强不息)," "The mythical bird Jingwei trying to fill up the sea with pebbles (精卫填海)" and "sleep on the brushwood and taste the gall (卧薪尝胆)" display Chinese people's spirit of constantly striving to become stronger. 

(Source: Guangming Daily/Translated and edited by Women of China)