出淤泥而不染 — “Emerging from the mud unsoiled”
出淤泥而不染 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to remain pure and untainted despite being in a corrupt or morally compromised environment; to maintain one's integrity amidst prevailing negative influences”. Literally, “Emerging from the mud unsoiled”.
出淤泥而不染 Pronunciation and Pinyin
出淤泥而不染 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 出淤泥而不染
Origin and Story of 出淤泥而不染
During the Northern Song Dynasty, the neo-Confucian philosopher Zhou Dunyi settled by the Lianxi stream at the foot of Mount Lushan's Lotus Peak. There, he dedicated himself to writing and establishing his philosophical theories, producing works such as 'An Explanation of the Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate' and 'Penetrating the Book of Changes', which proposed a simple yet systematic cosmology.
Zhou Dunyi famously compared different flowers to human qualities. He believed that chrysanthemums resembled reclusive scholars, peonies were like wealthy and prestigious individuals, and the lotus, which 'emerges from the mud unsoiled', symbolized a true gentleman among people.
Idioms Related to 出淤泥而不染
Synonyms of 出淤泥而不染
Antonyms of 出淤泥而不染
More idioms starting with 出
- chū出yī一tóu头dì地to distinguish oneself
- chū出chǒu丑yáng扬jí疾expose one's disgraceful conduct publicly
- chū出chǒu丑fàng放guāi乖make a fool of oneself
- chū出shì世lí离qún群withdraw from society
- chū出shì世chāo超fán凡transcend the mundane and be extraordinary
- chū出hū乎qí其lèi类，，bá拔hū乎qí其cuì萃to be outstanding among one's peers
- chū出hū乎fǎn反hū乎go back on one's word
- chū出hū乎yì意wài外beyond one's expectations
- chū出hū乎yì意liào料beyond all expectation
- chū出hū乎yì意biǎo表beyond expectation
- chū出hū乎yù预liào料beyond expectation
- chū出guāi乖nòng弄chǒu丑make a fool of oneself
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Open the tool →Questions about 出淤泥而不染
What does 出淤泥而不染 mean?
出淤泥而不染 (chū yū ní ér bù rǎn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to remain pure and untainted despite being in a corrupt or morally compromised environment; to maintain one's integrity amidst prevailing negative influences”.
How do you pronounce 出淤泥而不染?
出淤泥而不染 is pronounced chū yū ní ér bù rǎn in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 出淤泥而不染 literally mean?
Literally, 出淤泥而不染 means “Emerging from the mud unsoiled”. It is used to mean “to remain pure and untainted despite being in a corrupt or morally compromised environment; to maintain one's integrity amidst prevailing negative influences”.
Where does 出淤泥而不染 come from?
出淤泥而不染 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 出淤泥而不染?
淤泥：水底的污泥；染：沾。生长在淤泥中，而不被污泥所污染。