TIL #1 – There is no useless talent
鶏鳴狗盗 means both ‘there is no useless talent,’ and designs such a talent, or the person whose only talents are useless. Learn its origin.
What's a TIL?
TIL is an acronym for the phrase ‘Today I learned,’ and is often used to share a piece of knowledge or fact that was recently learned.
What does it mean in the context of this blog?
TIL is a series of short articles about a word, a phrase, or something else related to the Japanese language.
Funny/useful words or expressions that I learned which surprised me, and that I would like to share on this blog. It's a way to get myself in the habit of posting more regularly.
Don't expect daily TILs, but I will do my best to write frequently.
TIL there is a yojijukugo that means ‘a useless talent’
In Japanese, there are expressions made of four Chinese characters called yojijukugo (四字熟語). While some of them are Japanese creations, a majority come from Chinese, some of these from what is called koji (故事) or old historical events.
Today's expression 鶏鳴狗盗（けいめいくとう）is one such koji and relates an episode said to have happened during the Warring States Period, or 戦国時代.
The tribulations of Mengchang
Without going into too much detail, the story is about Lord Mengchang, a major figure of the time. He goes to the country of Qin (秦) and gets arrested and trapped there for various political reasons, which you can learn about in his Wikipedia article.
He's understandably bummed and wants to return to his homeland of Qi (斉). Around him are these two gentlemen, each with a special talent: the first can disguise himself as a dog and excels at robbery, while the other can… very convincingly imitate a rooster's crowing.
Lord Mengchang, still determined to go back home, asks one of the king's concubines for help. She accepts at one condition: that Mengchang retrieves her the terribly expensive coat made of snow fox fur that he earlier gave the king. In an unexpected turn of events, the dog-imitator is able to steal the coat, and within two days of the concubine pleading, Mengchang is released from his house arrest.
The king, maybe not too clairvoyant, tells our three companions, ‘You're not under arrest anymore, but don't you leave the country,’ and so Mengchang and co. immediately forge documents, get a chariot, and rush to the border. They reach it by midnight the next day. The king, hearing the news and not too pleased, sends an army after Mengchang.
It's still midnight, the army is closing in, and the guards at the pass won't let anyone get through until dawn.
However, the rooster dude is here, and he has a plan. He cockle-doodle-does so realistically that all the nearby roosters wake up and crow along with him. The guards, seemingly oblivious to the darkness of the night (don't ask me), believe it is dawn and let Mengchang go back to Qi.
Conclusion
The moral of the story is that even something that looks at first like a useless talent can reveal itself to be useful in trying times. 鶏鳴狗盗 came to refer to this story, a useless talent itself or the person whose only talents are useless.
What's your useless talent? Mine is being able to write 薔薇 or 痙攣 from memory while struggling to remember the characters for more basic words like 連絡. Maybe one day this will get me out of trouble…