You must have heard the English saying "Speak of the devil", but what is its Chinese equivalent? It is "说曹操，曹操到 (Shuō Cáo Cāo, Cáo Cāo dào)" in Chinese.

So, who is Cao Cao?

“Cao Cao was a warlord and the great chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty who rose to great power during the time. He often portrayed as a cruel and merciless tyrant, and he also has been praised as a brilliant ruler and military genius character in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. “

ORIGIN FROM THE STORY OF

《三国演义 Sānguó Yǎnyì》

汉献帝 (HànXiànDì) (an emperor in the Han dynasty) was attacked by 李傕 (Lǐ Jué)  Li Jue and 郭汜 (Guō Sì) Guo Si, then 汉献帝 (HànXiànDì) ordered a messenger to send a message to 曹操 (Cáo Cāo) Cao Cao to help him out.  

But before 曹操 (Cáo Cāo) Cao Cao could receive the message, he had already ordered the military officer夏侯敦 (XiàHóuDūn) Xia Houdun to save 汉献帝 (HànXiànDì). Eventually,  李傕 (Lǐ Jué) Li Jue and 郭汜 (Guō Sì) Guo Si were defeated by 曹操 (Cáo Cāo) Cao Cao, then he granted a higher title because of the victory. Since then, the proverb "说曹操，曹操到 (shuō Cáo Cāo, Cáo Cāo dào)" was widespread.

USAGE

“说曹操，曹操到 (shuō Cáo Cāo, Cáo Cāo dào)” literally means: "Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao appears". The phrase refers to the time when you are talking about someone, and he or she appears immediately. 说 (shuō) means to talk; 到 (dào) means to arrive or to come.

1. 说曹操，曹操到！我们刚刚才谈到你！

Shuō Cáo Cāo, Cáo Cāo dào！Wǒmen gānggāng cái tándào nǐ！

Speak of the devil! We were just talking about you!

2. 我们要不要打电话给他？啊！他来了，说曹操，曹操到。

Wǒmen yàobuyào dǎ diànhuà gěi tā? A! Tā láile, shuō Cáo Cāo, Cáo Cāo dào.

Should we call him? Oh! Speak of the devil. Here he is.

Over 500 Chinese proverbs 谚语 (yànyŭ) and sayings about many different aspects of human. So, what else do you know about other proverbs?