Idioms #1: 杀鸡给猴看

English, from its very beginning, has borrowed elements from other languages. 

One class of such elements is the 'idiom', 'proverb' or 'wise saying'.  A good example would be a quote from... Caesar I think... who said as he crossed a river and really committed himself to a battle: "ALEA IACTA EST", which transfers to English quite neatly as "The die is cast". 

Equivalent sayings in English for some foreign idioms are not always equivalent literally.  There's sometime a more popular way of expressing something which appeared first (cf. "founder effect" of biology but not quite the same) or have some other neat associations which don't exist in the other language (such as a pun).  However, there are some perfectly equivalent idioms.

This is the first in a series of entertaining (for me), but serious and practical translations of some idioms.  The main theme for this series is Expressing Concern. 

Format:
[idiom]
"[a decent existing equivalent idiom, or, taking a shot at one]".
"[less appropriate graphic translation]".
[literal but well-tuned and fleshed-out translation] Essentially, "[functionally substitutable explanation]"

杀鸡给猴看
"Public crucifixion".
"Crucifying a cat to warn the Christians".
Killing a chicken for the monkeys to see.  Essentially, "creating an example of".

指鹿为马
"The emperor's new clothes suit his taste".
Pointing at a deer and calling it a horse (knowingly).  [There's a historical story behind this.]  Essentially, "s/he's bullshitting and s/he knows we know it and have no choice but to take this shit".


无风不起浪
"There's no smoke without fire". (perfectly equivalent)
Without wind there's no wave generation.  Essentially, "rumours are sometimes true".

托裤子放屁 (... 多此一举)
" Bringing a gun to a sword-fight (... is nice but not necessary)".
"Foreplay (... in a whorehouse is nice but not necessary)."
Taking pants off to pass wind (... is one unnecessary step).  This is self-explanatory.

说曹操 (... 曹操就到)
"Speak of the devil (... here he is)." (perfectly equivalent)
Speak of 曹操, (曹操 arrives).  Essentially, "what a surprise (... seeing as how we were just talking about it)".

螳螂捕蝉 (... 黄雀在后)
"Rabbit-hunting (... in sniper territory)"
A praying mantis hunts a cicada (... while there's a yellow finch right behind it) .  Essentially, "hunting while being unaware of being hunted".

瓜田李下
"Practising magic in a dairy".
Looking for lost shoes in a melon patch, looking for a lost kite in a plum orchard.  Essentially, "being forced to be in a suspicious position while allegedly pursuing something else".



To Be Continued