She Wrote Half a Lifetime of Tears into Idioms: Chen Yuhui Waits for a Hundred Children to Understand Love

Stage lights came on as a hundred children simultaneously opened their books, their tender voices filling the Hsinchu County Cultural Bureau Concert Hall. Standing on stage, Chen Yuhui paused, her eyes glistening as she looked out at the audience. She had waited many years for this moment.

This was not an ordinary book launch, but rather a reconciliation with time. 'Idioms Are More Than Four Characters' tells stories of idioms, yet beneath the words lies her lifelong dedication to education, her companionship with children, and the enduring bonds she has never let go.

She teaches children to read and write, yet fears most that no one truly listens to the children. Chen Yuhui has seen too many children memorizing solely for grades, and too many parents losing time to talk with their children amid their busy lives. Children can write correct answers but may not know how to express their sorrow; adults strive to give their children the best lives, yet often forget to ask, 'Are you happy today?'

That is why she decided to rescue idioms from exam sheets. Each idiom is no longer just a definition or sentence example, but a story that invites parents and children to sit down and talk. She hopes parents will not only ask if their children remember the idiom, but also ask, 'If you were the person in this story, what would you do?'

Old photographs displayed at the event revealed the passage of time—yellowed images capturing different stages of her teaching journey. The children in the photos have long grown up; some may have started families, others may have forgotten those classroom days. Yet Chen Yuhui still remembers the faces—the ones who once clung to her clothes, crying for their teacher.

She admits the cruelest part of education is that teachers walk with children for a while, only to eventually watch them leave. Precisely because of this, she wanted to leave behind a book. So that even if they never meet again, a child might, on a night of confusion, recall from a single idiom that someone once taught them courage, and kindness.

At the climax of the event, a hundred parent-child pairs read aloud together. Some stammered, others misread, and some children shyly buried their faces in their mothers’ arms—but no one rushed them. Chen Yuhui said children don’t need to be perfect every time. What they truly need is someone who will wait, even when they make mistakes.

The event was supported by Hsinchu County Magistrate's wife Gan Xiumei, Legislator Hsu Hsin-ying, County Councilor Wu Xuzhi, Cultural Bureau Director Zhu Shumin, and representatives from education, culture, business, and local organizations. Thirty-seven distinguished guests sat in the audience, but the brightest stars of the day were the small hands tightly gripping their books.

What she wrote is not just an idiom book—it’s the words she was afraid she wouldn’t have time to say. Chen Yuhui knows children will grow up, and parents cannot stay by their side forever. All she can do is hide the most important life lessons within stories children are willing to open.

After the event, children hugged their new books and took photos, while parents gently adjusted their collars. Beverages and snacks provided by Mr.WISH Fine Tea and Shuncheng Cake added sweetness to the atmosphere, but what made it hardest to leave was the lingering warmth in the air, even after the reading ended.

'Idioms Are More Than Four Characters'—beyond the four characters lies an educator’s unwavering初心, and a letter home to every child. She feared children wouldn’t read it in time, so she waited half a lifetime; she feared love would go unspoken, so she wrote her tears, stroke by stroke, into the pages.