市道之交 — “Market-path acquaintance; market street relationship”
市道之交 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a relationship or friendship based on mutual benefit, personal gain, or convenience, often superficial and subject to change when interests shift; a mercenary friendship or fair-weather acquaintance”. Literally, “market-path acquaintance; market street relationship”.
市道之交 Pronunciation and Pinyin
市道之交 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 市道之交
Origin and Story of 市道之交
During the Warring States period, King Xiaocheng of Zhao, influenced by Qin's counter-espionage tactics, dismissed General Lian Po and appointed Zhao Kuo, who was known for only discussing warfare on paper.
In the Battle of Changping, Zhao suffered a devastating defeat, losing 450,000 soldiers.
Realizing his grave mistake, the King reinstated Lian Po.
Subsequently, many individuals who had previously severed ties with Lian Po when he fell out of favor now eagerly returned to seek his goodwill.
Lian Po, however, held these opportunistic people in contempt, clearly understanding the true nature of '市道之交' – relationships based purely on self-interest and convenience rather than genuine sentiment.
Idioms Related to 市道之交
Antonyms of 市道之交
More idioms starting with 市
- shì市bù不èr二jià价Fair and honest trade
- shì市jǐng井zhī之tú徒vulgar uncultured common folk
- shì市jǐng井zhī之chén臣commoner from the marketplace
- shì市jǐng井xiǎo小rén人vulgar, petty person
- shì市jǐng井wú无lài赖urban street rascal
- shì市yuàn怨jié结huò祸incur resentment and invite disaster
- shì市ēn恩jià嫁yuàn怨curry favor while shifting blame
- shì市wú无èr二jià价fair and consistent market prices
- shì市mín民wén文xué学Urban popular literature
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Open the tool →Questions about 市道之交
What does 市道之交 mean?
市道之交 (shì dào zhī jiāo) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a relationship or friendship based on mutual benefit, personal gain, or convenience, often superficial and subject to change when interests shift; a mercenary friendship or fair-weather acquaintance”.
How do you pronounce 市道之交?
市道之交 is pronounced shì dào zhī jiāo in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 市道之交 literally mean?
Literally, 市道之交 means “market-path acquaintance; market street relationship”. It is used to mean “a relationship or friendship based on mutual benefit, personal gain, or convenience, often superficial and subject to change when interests shift; a mercenary friendship or fair-weather acquaintance”.
Where does 市道之交 come from?
市道之交 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 市道之交?
指买卖双方之间的关系。比喻人与人之间以利害关系为转移的交情。