Stories and idioms about seven people who overcame challenging obstacles to read
Chinese people are reading less and less. According to a report released by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication, Chinese adults read on average 4.7 printed books and 3.29 digital books in 2020—slightly up from the previous year, as the Covid-19 pandemic seems to have given a lot of people more time to read.
According to the report, only one-third of Chinese adults were satisfied with the amount of books they read in a year, and many said their long work hours and fast-paced lifestyle didn’t give them time to read. But let’s face it—that excuse wouldn’t have held water in ancient times. Looking back on history, there are many stories about book-lovers overcoming extraordinary obstacles to keep on reading and obtain an education, many of which were summarized into chengyu to inspire others to acquire more knowledge.
Sun Jiahui is a freelance writer and former editor at The World of Chinese. She writes about Chinese language, society and culture, and is especially passionate about sharing stories of China's ancient past with a wider audience. She has been writing for TWOC for over six years, and pens the Choice Chengyu column.
