涅而不缁 — “Dyed with dark pigment but not becoming black”
涅而不缁 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes a person of noble character who remains untainted and uncorrupted by adverse or corrupting environments”. Literally, “Dyed with dark pigment but not becoming black”.
涅而不缁 Pronunciation and Pinyin
涅而不缁 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 涅而不缁
Origin and Story of 涅而不缁
During the Spring and Autumn period, after Confucius was ostracized from the political arena in Lu, he led his disciples on a tour of various states.
They were not well-received in states like Wei and Song.
On their way to Jin, Zilu advised him not to seek patronage from a petty person like Zhao Yang.
Confucius, however, believed himself to be a junzi (a noble person) and that he would be 'dyed with a dark pigment without becoming black' (涅而不缁), thus not tarnishing his reputation.
Idioms Related to 涅而不缁
Synonyms of 涅而不缁
Antonyms of 涅而不缁
More idioms starting with 涅
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Open the tool →Questions about 涅而不缁
What does 涅而不缁 mean?
涅而不缁 (niè ér bù zī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes a person of noble character who remains untainted and uncorrupted by adverse or corrupting environments”.
How do you pronounce 涅而不缁?
涅而不缁 is pronounced niè ér bù zī in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 涅而不缁 literally mean?
Literally, 涅而不缁 means “Dyed with dark pigment but not becoming black”. It is used to mean “describes a person of noble character who remains untainted and uncorrupted by adverse or corrupting environments”.
Where does 涅而不缁 come from?
涅而不缁 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 涅而不缁?
涅：矿物名，古代用作黑色染料；缁：黑色。用涅染也染不黑。比喻品格高尚，不受恶劣环境的影响。