骨鲠之臣 — “A minister like a fishbone (in the throat)”
骨鲠之臣 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “an upright and outspoken official who dares to speak the truth, even if it's unpleasant; a minister with integrity and strong moral principles”. Literally, “a minister like a fishbone (in the throat)”.
骨鲠之臣 Pronunciation and Pinyin
骨鲠之臣 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 骨鲠之臣
Origin and Story of 骨鲠之臣
During the Song Dynasty, Lu Zongdao served as a Cenzhi Zhengshi (Vice Premier). He was known for his uprightness in court, detested evil, and dared to offer frank criticisms, showing no mercy to corrupt officials.
Powerful figures feared him greatly. Because his surname Lu was similar to the Chinese character for fish (鱼), they called him 'Fish Head Cenzheng' (刺多，难对付), implying he was full of thorns and difficult to deal with.
However, the common people affectionately referred to him as a 'minister like a fishbone' (骨鲠之臣), recognizing his unwavering integrity and courage to speak uncomfortable truths.
Idioms Related to 骨鲠之臣
More idioms starting with 骨
- gǔ骨huà化xíng形xiāo销perish completely
- gǔ骨huà化fēng风chéng成character transformed, new custom formed
- gǔ骨hán寒máo毛shù竖utterly terrified or horrified
- gǔ骨shòu瘦rú如chái柴extremely thin, like skin and bones
- gǔ骨shòu瘦rú如chái豺extremely emaciated
- gǔ骨shòu瘦xíng形xiāo销extremely emaciated
- gǔ骨ròu肉zhī之qīn亲close family blood relations
- gǔ骨ròu肉zhī之ēn恩deep affection among close blood relatives
- gǔ骨ròu肉zhī之qíng情deep affection between blood relatives
- gǔ骨ròu肉fēn分lí离painful separation of family members
- gǔ骨ròu肉tuán团yuán圆family reunion
- gǔ骨ròu肉tuán团luán圞family reunion
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Open the tool →Questions about 骨鲠之臣
What does 骨鲠之臣 mean?
骨鲠之臣 (gǔ gěng zhī chén) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “an upright and outspoken official who dares to speak the truth, even if it's unpleasant; a minister with integrity and strong moral principles”.
How do you pronounce 骨鲠之臣?
骨鲠之臣 is pronounced gǔ gěng zhī chén in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 骨鲠之臣 literally mean?
Literally, 骨鲠之臣 means “a minister like a fishbone (in the throat)”. It is used to mean “an upright and outspoken official who dares to speak the truth, even if it's unpleasant; a minister with integrity and strong moral principles”.
Where does 骨鲠之臣 come from?
骨鲠之臣 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 骨鲠之臣?
骨鲠：比喻刚直。刚正忠直的官员。