In China, when you refused someone, he or she might say he or she eats a bowl of door-closing thick soup. In Chinese, it is called "吃闭门羹" What is the story behind this saying?
It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, there lived a beautiful woman named Shi Feng. Many young men wanted to marry her. But Shi was hard to impress. She asked her admirers (追求者)to write poems and show them to her. She did this to see how talented they were.
If Shi liked someone's poems, she would agree to meet him. If she didn't, she wouldn't meet him. But then, to be polite, she would at least give him a bowl of "geng "to eat. Geng" is a type of thick soup. It is usually made with grain, fruit and vegetables.
As time passed, "eating a bowl of thick soup "came to mean "being refused". The dish was also nicknamed" door-closing thick soup", since Shi would not open her door for the people who received the dish.
But there is a twist(转折)to this story. "Door-closing thick soup" was said to be so tasty that people started coming to Shi's door--not to marry her, but to have a taste of the soup!
