kirchara: Orchids (0)
kirchara ([personal profile] kirchara) wrote 2021-02-20 10:15 am (UTC)

八仙过海

八仙过海 (bā xiān guò hǎi)
The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea

八仙过海各显其能 Bāxiānguòhǎi ,gèxiǎnqínéng
1 lit. the Eight Immortals cross the sea, each showing his own special talent (idiom)
2 fig. (of each individual in a group) to give full play to one's unique capabilities

The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea (八仙過海; bā xiān guò hǎi) [...] is about the Immortals on their way to attend the Conference of the Magical Peach (蟠桃會; pán taó huì) when they encounter an ocean. Instead of relying on their clouds to get them across, Lü Dongbin suggested that they each should exercise their unique powers to get across. Derived from this, the Chinese proverb "The Eight Immortals cross the sea, each reveals its divine powers" (八仙過海,各顯神通; bā xiān guò hǎi, gè xiǎn shén tōng) indicates the situation that everybody shows off their skills and expertise to achieve a common goal.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_Immortals#In_literature)

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