五斗折腰 — “Bend one's waist for five dou of rice”
五斗折腰 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to humble oneself or compromise one's integrity for a meager salary or position; to demean oneself for trivial gain. It often implies a refusal to stoop to such acts, reflecting strong personal principles”. Literally, “Bend one's waist for five dou of rice”.
五斗折腰 Pronunciation and Pinyin
五斗折腰 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 五斗折腰
Origin and Story of 五斗折腰
During the Jin Dynasty, Tao Qian (courtesy name Yuanming) served as an official several times. However, as the administration was deeply corrupt at the time, he was unwilling to go along with the corrupt practices, and even less willing to demean himself for a meager official's salary (five dou of rice). Consequently, he resigned from his post and chose a life of reclusion.
He lived as a recluse in mountain ravines, wore coarse linen clothes, and worked the land himself. In his later years, he suffered from poverty and illness.
When Tan Daoji, the governor of Jiangzhou, invited him to become an official again, Tao Yuanming politely declined, steadfastly refusing to compromise his principles for material gain.
Idioms Related to 五斗折腰
More idioms starting with 五
- wǔ五shì世qí其chāng昌May descendants flourish for five generations
- wǔ五qīn亲liù六juàn眷all one's relatives
- wǔ五tǐ体tóu投dì地prostrate oneself in admiration
- wǔ五tǐ体tóu投chéng诚utterly convinced and profoundly respectful
- wǔ五hóu侯qī七guì贵high-ranking officials and influential nobles
- wǔ五hóu侯jiǔ九bó伯all feudal lords and regional chiefs
- wǔ五hòu侯là蜡zhú烛extravagant display of wealth and power
- wǔ五guāng光shí十sè色vibrantly colorful and dazzling
- wǔ五diǎn典sān三fén坟ancient Chinese classics
- wǔ五nèi内jù俱bēng崩utterly devastated or heartbroken
- wǔ五nèi内rú如fén焚consumed by extreme anxiety
- wǔ五dōng冬liù六xià夏all the year round
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Open the tool →Questions about 五斗折腰
What does 五斗折腰 mean?
五斗折腰 (wǔ dǒu zhé yāo) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to humble oneself or compromise one's integrity for a meager salary or position; to demean oneself for trivial gain. It often implies a refusal to stoop to such acts, reflecting strong personal principles”.
How do you pronounce 五斗折腰?
五斗折腰 is pronounced wǔ dǒu zhé yāo in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 五斗折腰 literally mean?
Literally, 五斗折腰 means “Bend one's waist for five dou of rice”. It is used to mean “to humble oneself or compromise one's integrity for a meager salary or position; to demean oneself for trivial gain. It often implies a refusal to stoop to such acts, reflecting strong personal principles”.
Where does 五斗折腰 come from?
五斗折腰 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 五斗折腰?
五斗：五斗米，指微薄的官俸；折腰：弯腰行礼。为微薄的俸禄而对上级卑躬屈膝。