坦腹东床 — “To be a distinguished or worthy son-in-law”

坦腹东床 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be a distinguished or worthy son-in-law”. A complimentary term for a son-in-law who is highly esteemed for his talent and character. Literally, “bare-bellied on the east bed”.

Frequency

坦腹东床 Pronunciation and Pinyin

坦腹东床 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
坦	tǎn	8	frank and open
腹	fù	13	abdomen or belly
东	dōng	5	east, host
床	chuáng	7	bed

Example Sentence with 坦腹东床

邻居们都说小王是难得的青年才俊，配得上张家的大小姐，真是坦腹东床。

The neighbors all said that young Wang was a rare young talent, worthy of the Zhang family's eldest daughter, truly a distinguished son-in-law (a "tanfu dongchuang").

Origin and Story of 坦腹东床

During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the calligrapher Wang Xizhi was exceptionally talented in his youth. Grand Commandant Xi Jian held him in high regard and wished to arrange a marriage between his daughter and Wang Xizhi.

He dispatched a messenger to Wang Dao, Wang Xizhi's uncle, to propose the marriage. Wang Dao led the messenger to the east wing of the house. There, they found only Wang Xizhi, who was casually lying on the east bed with his belly exposed, eating.

The messenger returned and reported to Xi Jian, stating that the one with the bare belly on the east bed was the suitable candidate. Xi Jian was delighted, believing that Wang Xizhi's unconstrained and natural demeanor reflected a genuine and exceptional character, making him an ideal son-in-law. This idiom later became a complimentary term for a distinguished son-in-law.