Biéren xiào tā xiǎngfa tài dà, tā què shuō yànquè zěnme dǒngde hónghú de xīn.
People laughed that his dreams were too big, but he said a sparrow could never understand a swan's heart.
Tips
culture
In the 史记, the young farmhand Chen Sheng answers workmates who mock his talk of greatness: 燕雀安知鸿鹄之志 (how could sparrows know the ambitions of a swan?). He later led the first great revolt against the Qin, and 鸿鹄之志 now means lofty ambition.
mistakes
鹄 is hú here. Its other reading, gǔ, means the centre of a target, as in 鹄的 (bull's-eye).
