Reference
ра
Mr Ricketts
ketts
LU PING'S COMMENTS: XIAN LI HOU BING
1.
I was at SOAS last night. Mr Tung their top linguist told me, unprompted, that "xian li hou bing" is a chengyu, a four character phrase, which refers to the behaviour of wrestlers before a contest. It means "first courtesy and then combat" the image being of wrestlers bowing to one another before the bout begins. (The Character "Li" therefore means courtesy and not reason as both Hong Kong and I translated it). Mr Tung agreed with Hong Kong that it had to be read in context, Although he agreed with me that this was harsh language.
Perhaps Lu was attempting to reply in kind to the Governor's sporting metaphors.
2. It is fairly rich for Lu Ping to describe his behaviour to the Governor to date as courteous.
000/
51)
RA3 But
RAJ Bunten
3 November 1992
chengyu.min CODE 18-77
1
1. Conte Ehrman Maryking?
M. Bates Peking) Fax
?.
forn
3.
Mr Mana
M
the
Davies/
Br
AND
Mr Wye,
Wye, RAD
Mr Prytan.
के
Thanke. Not quite as inflammatoing
as when first translated
Qalath 314