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一沐三捉发
一沐三捉发
一沐三捉发
一沐三捉发
一沐三捉发
一沐三捉发
一沐三捉发

一沐三捉发 — “One bath, three pauses to grasp hair”

一沐三捉发 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be extremely eager and humble in seeking out and treating talented individuals, even to the point of interrupting one's personal activities to attend to them”. Literally, “one bath, three pauses to grasp hair”.

Frequency

一沐三捉发 Pronunciation and Pinyin

一沐三捉发 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
一
yī1one, a, single, whole
沐
mù7wash hair or bathe
三
sān3the number three
捉
zhuō10catch, seize, or grasp
发
fā5to issue, send, or develop

Example Sentence with 一沐三捉发

为了吸引各地的优秀学者,那位校长展现出“一沐三捉发”的诚意,亲自登门拜访。
To attract excellent scholars from various places, that principal demonstrated the sincerity of "one bath, three pauses to grasp hair" by personally visiting them at their homes.

Origin and Story of 一沐三捉发

During the Western Zhou Dynasty, King Cheng, inheriting his father's aspirations, enfeoffed various feudal lords. He appointed Bo Qin as the Marquis of Lu.

The Duke of Zhou congratulated his brother, Bo Qin, saying: "You were formerly a renowned capable man in Lu. After you take office, do not forget that you are the son of King Wen, the brother of King Wu, and now the uncle of King Cheng. You must 'one bath, three pauses to grasp hair' (一沐三捉发) and 'one meal, three spits out food' (一饭三吐哺) to cherish and value talented people."

Idioms Related to 一沐三捉发

Synonyms of 一沐三捉发

  • yī一mù沐sān三wò握fā发eagerly seek talent
  • yī一mù沐sān三wò渥fā发eagerly seek talented individuals

More idioms starting with 一

  • yī一dīng丁bù不shí识completely illiterate
  • yī一dīng丁diǎn点er儿a tiny bit
  • yī一bù不zuò作,,èr二bù不xiū休Finish what you start
  • yī一bù不zuò做,,èr二bù不xiū休in for a penny, in for a pound
  • yī一bù不yā压zhòng众,,bǎi百bù不suí随yī一The minority cannot prevail against the majority
  • yī一bù不niǔ扭zhòng众One person cannot defy the crowd
  • yī一shì世zhī之xióng雄A hero of a generation
  • yī一shì世lóng龙mén门A generation's revered influential figure
  • yī一qiū丘yī一hè壑live contentedly in nature
  • yī一qiū丘zhī之hé貉birds of a feather
  • yī一sī丝yī一háo毫the slightest amount
  • yī一sī丝bù不luàn乱perfectly orderly and neat

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Questions about 一沐三捉发

What does 一沐三捉发 mean?

一沐三捉发 (yī mù sān zhuō fā) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be extremely eager and humble in seeking out and treating talented individuals, even to the point of interrupting one's personal activities to attend to them”.

How do you pronounce 一沐三捉发?

一沐三捉发 is pronounced yī mù sān zhuō fā in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 一沐三捉发 literally mean?

Literally, 一沐三捉发 means “one bath, three pauses to grasp hair”. It is used to mean “to be extremely eager and humble in seeking out and treating talented individuals, even to the point of interrupting one's personal activities to attend to them”.

Where does 一沐三捉发 come from?

一沐三捉发 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 一沐三捉发?

沐:洗头;捉:用手攥住。洗一次头要停顿三次。形容渴求贤才,谦恭下士

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