Contradicting Oneself 自相矛盾

Contradicting Oneself 自相矛盾
 
  In ancient times, there was a man who sold spears and shields. He used to boast, ""My spears are the sharpest things in the world. They can penetrate anything."" A moment later he would boast, ""My shields are the toughest things in the world. Nothing can penetrate them."" One day, a passerby asked him: ""What would happen if you threw one of your spears at one of your shields?""

古代有个卖矛和盾的人。他一手举起他的矛夸耀说：""我的矛锋利无比，无论多么坚硬的东西都能刺穿。""过了一会儿，他又举起另一只手里的盾说：""我的盾坚硬无比，无论多么锋利的东西也刺不破。""观众中有一个人问他：""用你的矛刺你的盾，结果会怎样呢？""这个人被问得哑口无言了。
 
  This idiom, ""contradicting oneself"", and the noun, contradiction, all came from the above story.""自相矛盾""用来比喻说话或做事不一致，互相抵触。