老来了吃斋念佛
“Only in my later years, through prayer and penance,”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
“In the first half of my life, I spilled too much blood.”
老来 了 吃斋念佛
“Only in my later years, through prayer and penance,”
“did I manage to preserve my only daughter!”
Direct spoken expression in this communicative setting.
In traditional Chinese belief, turning to vegetarianism and chanting Buddha's name balances bad karma accumulated through past political ruthlessness.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
to observe a vegetarian diet and chant Buddhist prayers
Commonly used idiomatically to describe someone adopting pious, quiet Buddhist practices in later life.
Indicates a change of state or lifestyle that began upon reaching old age.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“that I should head to Weiguo Temple for a three-day fast.”
“It's good that an envoy like you is trying to observe the pilgrimage fast.”
“for something trivial.”