asking for English idioms expressing this situation

Share on Facebook

Pchuang

#444297 Tue, 20 Nov 07 08:43 AM

It happened some five hundred years ago. Upon learning his subjects were dying of starvation, the Chinese emperor was bewildered and he asked his ministers: "Why don't they eat some mince?" Mince was something basic and humble in the emperor's menu.

In Chinese, there is an idiom saying "a man speaking standing straight up feels no pain of the man who is under a heavy load upon his back."

Do we have any similar idiom expressing the same meaning in English?

It is like the famous French queen who asked why the hungery did eat some cake when she learnt her poor subjects were starving.

Pchuang

Joined on Sat, Nov 5 2005

Full Member (198)

Idioms

Philip

#444454 Tue, 20 Nov 07 03:38 PM

Pchuang wrote:

It happened some five hundred years ago. Upon learning his subjects were dying of starvation, the Chinese emperor was bewildered and he asked his ministers: "Why don't they eat some mince?" Mince was something basic and humble in the emperor's menu.

In Chinese, there is an idiom saying "a man speaking standing straight up feels no pain of the man who is under a heavy load upon his back."

Do we have any similar idiom expressing the same meaning in English?

It is like the famous French queen who asked why the hungery did eat some cake when she learnt her poor subjects were starving.

I can't think of anything equivalent to this in English. It's quite a powerful statement (and image).

Philip

Joined on Thu, Jun 23 2005

USA Pacific Northwest (Seattle)

Veteran Member (6,270)

At reise er at leve! - H. C. Andersen

Idioms

Pchuang

#444707 Wed, 21 Nov 07 08:28 AM

Thanks for your reply. I do understand that there is a difference between cultures, but I am still hoping there are something we share in our lives.

Pchuang

Idioms, Difference between

English Toolbox Co.

#444905 Wed, 21 Nov 07 07:20 PM

It doesn't exactly mirror the eloquent Chinese idiom, but something similar in English is "that's easy for you to say." The emperor has all the money in the world, so it is "easy for him to say" that other people should eat mince (of course, he doesn't understand that even humble mince may be too expensive for the peasants to buy). We often use this idiom to tell people they don't fully understand that things aren't as easy for other people.

English Toolbox Co.

Joined on Thu, Aug 16 2007

New Member (38)

Happy Teaching! The English Toolbox Staff

Idioms

Exp

#444911 Wed, 21 Nov 07 07:57 PM

Pchuang wrote:
It is like the famous French queen who asked why the hungery did eat some cake when she learnt her poor subjects were starving.

From Wikipedia (Marie Antoinette): "The quote qu’ils mangent de la brioche ("Let them eat cake"). There are variety of versions in terms of the circumstances in the popular culture (ranging from peasants coming to her gate begging for food, to her driving through Paris and seeing the condition of the peasants), where she said this in response to the peasants."