Teacher 李 uses the metaphor of a 'little secret box' to explain to 小美 what a chengyu is.
小美, today we're going to learn something new called 'chengyu.'
Chengyu? What's that?
A chengyu is like a little box filled with secrets. Behind each chengyu, there's a complete story, but on the surface, it's just a few short characters.
A little box! Is it like my toy box, with surprises inside when you open it?
Exactly! For example, the chengyu '对牛弹琴' is like a little box—it tells a story about playing music to a cow.
Haha, the cow definitely can't understand!
That's right. So this chengyu means it's useless to talk to someone who doesn't understand.
I get it! The little box is really fun!
You're so smart! Let's open more interesting 'chengyu boxes' together next time, okay?
Okay! I want to see what other stories are inside!