五日京兆 — “Refers to a person holding a temporary or short-term position”

五日京兆 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to a person holding a temporary or short-term position”. An official who doesn't expect to remain long in office. Literally, “Jingzhao for five days”.

Frequency

五日京兆 Pronunciation and Pinyin

五日京兆 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
五	wǔ	4	the number five
日	rì	4	sun, day, Japan
京	jīng	8	national capital
兆	zhào	6	omen, million, meg

Example Sentence with 五日京兆

他知道自己只是临时被派过来，所以觉得自己就像个五日京兆，不会待太久。

He knew he was only temporarily assigned, so he felt like a 'five-day Jingzhao,' not expecting to stay long.

Origin and Story of 五日京兆

During the Western Han Dynasty, Yang Yun, Marquis of Pingtong, became arrogant due to his achievements and was sentenced to death. Nearly all officials associated with Yang Yun were suspended from their posts.

His friend Zhang Chang, who held the position of Jingzhao Yin (the chief official of the capital), was temporarily not suspended thanks to Emperor Xuan's trust.

Xu Shun, one of Zhang Chang's subordinates, heard rumors that Zhang Chang was about to be suspended. He sarcastically referred to Zhang Chang as a 'five-day Jingzhao' and subsequently refused to perform his duties.

Before his own impending dismissal, Zhang Chang severely punished Xu Shun for his insubordination.