The Chengyu 'banman nongfu' refers to displaying novice skills in front of an expert, highlighting the concept of overestimating one's abilities and realizing the expertise of others afterwards.
Drawing inspiration from cultural and literary history can add depth and richness to constructed languages, allowing conlang creators to create idioms that contribute to the authenticity and complexity of their conlangs.
Deep dives
Origin of the Changyi 'banman nongfu'
The podcast discusses the origin of the Changyi 'banman nongfu', which means to display novice skills in front of an expert. The host explains that the term refers to the idea of thinking you are better than you actually are and realizing someone is an expert after the fact. The host draws a parallel between this Changyi and the English idiom 'to teach a fish how to swim.' The story goes that a poet named Li Bai, from the Pang dynasty, got drunk and drowned while trying to reach for the reflection of the moon in the water. The host mentions that the story may be a folk tale. Additionally, the podcast highlights another Tang dynasty poet who wrote a satirical poem about poets posting on Li Bai's tomb, further connecting the Changyi to a literary reference.
Using historical and literary references for conlangs
The podcast explores the idea of using historical and literary references to create idioms in constructed languages. The host suggests that conlang creators can draw inspiration from the cultural and literary history of their con cultures. By incorporating historical references and traditional stories, idioms can be created that give the conlang a sense of depth and richness. The host emphasizes that the truth of the stories doesn't matter; people can still believe and use the idioms regardless. This approach can add an extra layer of authenticity and complexity to conlangs, and even be applied to con cultures that have a long history of writing. The podcast concludes by encouraging listeners to create interesting idioms based on historical and literary sources.