不食周粟 — “Not eat Zhou millet”
不食周粟 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to refuse to serve a new dynasty or regime, especially when one remains loyal to the former one, even at the cost of one's life or livelihood; to remain steadfastly loyal and refuse to compromise principles”. Literally, “Not eat Zhou millet”.
不食周粟 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 不bù
- 食shí
- 周zhōu
- 粟sù
不食周粟 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 不食周粟
Origin and Story of 不食周粟
In the late Shang Dynasty, Bo Yi, the eldest son of Lord Guzhu, resolutely refused to inherit the throne after his father's death.
Later, when the Shang Dynasty fell and King Wu of Zhou established the Zhou Dynasty, he was unwilling to serve as an official and felt deeply shamed.
Consequently, he and his younger brother Shu Qi decided they would no longer eat the grains of the Zhou Dynasty. The two brothers secluded themselves on Shouyang Mountain, subsisting solely on wild fruits and vegetables gathered from the mountain.
Idioms Related to 不食周粟
Antonyms of 不食周粟
More idioms starting with 不
- bù不yī一ér而zú足numerous and varied, impossible to list all
- bù不sān三bù不sì四improper or disreputable
- bù不shàng上bù不xià下stuck in an awkward position
- bù不shàng上bù不luò落in an awkward or embarrassing situation
- bù不shì世zhī之yè业unparalleled achievements
- bù不shì世zhī之chóu仇unrivaled enmity
- bù不shì世zhī之gōng功unparalleled achievement
- bù不shì世zhī之lüè略unparalleled strategy
- bù不sàng丧bǐ匕chàng鬯peace and order, rituals undisturbed
- bù不fēng丰bù不jiǎn俭neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不fēng丰bù不shā杀neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不wèi为wǔ五dǒu斗mǐ米zhé折yāo腰Refuse to compromise integrity for meager gain
Questions about 不食周粟
- What does 不食周粟 mean?
- 不食周粟 (bù shí zhōu sù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to refuse to serve a new dynasty or regime, especially when one remains loyal to the former one, even at the cost of one's life or livelihood; to remain steadfastly loyal and refuse to compromise principles”.
- How do you pronounce 不食周粟?
- 不食周粟 is pronounced bù shí zhōu sù in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 不食周粟 literally mean?
- Literally, 不食周粟 means “not eat Zhou millet”. It is used to mean “to refuse to serve a new dynasty or regime, especially when one remains loyal to the former one, even at the cost of one's life or livelihood; to remain steadfastly loyal and refuse to compromise principles”.
- Where does 不食周粟 come from?
- 不食周粟 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 不食周粟?
- 粟：小米，泛指粮食。本指伯夷、叔齐于商亡后不吃周粟而死。比喻忠诚坚定，不因生计艰难而为敌方工作。