Talk:燕雀安知鴻鵠志

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Modern 燕雀 is brambling. Here, 燕雀 is used synecdochally. It is more likely a collective term for 燕 (swallow) and 雀 (sparrow), meaning ordinary birds (hence humans). 60.240.101.246 21:54, 21 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I'm so glad you posted a comment. It's easy sometimes to get stuck in a certain mindset when your translating, until someone like you points out the obvious. Originally, I was so focused on trying to find the exact English equivalent for 燕雀, that I didn't stop to think that it might have been used in a more generic sense. After reading your post, I researched the matter some more and have now decided to go with "little songbird" and "grand swan." Let me know if you like it better, and thanks for the feedback. -- A-cai 01:25, 22 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]
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