Hope this twitter thread will export. It's about Chinese usage of poetic references and/or mmh 'four character phrases' that draw on a common cultural background to convey much in little. The effect of "boom, here have lots and lots of associations over all the times you've seen this cascade into your head".

Shakespeare and the King James bible might have worked similarly for, err well, people a hundred years ago, but I get the feeling the effect for the Chinese goes deeper than any 'screw your courage to the sticking place' or widow's mite does for us. If only because 21st century Chinese clearly still say 梨花带雨 and no one mentions widows' mites, or would be understood if they did. No, we are not talking about tiny relatives of the tick.

H/t to incandescens for leading me here.

Finished?
Tell My Horse

Reading?
Finn Family Moomintroll
-- because I never have

Rainy Willow 16
-- slowly, to make it last

Next up?
Jane Haddam, Festival of Deaths
-- retired FBI agent solves mysteries. This is the Hanukkah one, supposedly containing many cultural shout outs that I doubt this cradle Catholic will get.