不为五斗米折腰 — “Do not bend the waist for five bushels of rice”
不为五斗米折腰 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to refuse to compromise one's integrity or principles for meager financial gain or worldly benefits; to remain incorruptible and principled despite poverty or hardship”. Literally, “Do not bend the waist for five bushels of rice”.
不为五斗米折腰 Pronunciation and Pinyin
不为五斗米折腰 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 不为五斗米折腰
Origin and Story of 不为五斗米折腰
Tao Yuanming, also known as Tao Qian, an early Chinese pastoral poet, once took up the post of county magistrate in Pengze in 405 AD to support his family.
One winter, an arrogant inspector (Dūyóu) sent by the prefect arrived and summoned Tao Yuanming. Tao, who always disdained officialdom and sycophancy, was about to go when a clerk stopped him, insisting he must dress in official attire and bow to the inspector.
Tao Yuanming, finding this a great humiliation for a paltry salary, sighed and famously declared, "I cannot bend my back for five bushels of rice for a petty commoner!" He then immediately sealed his official seal, wrote a letter of resignation, and left his post after only eighty-odd days, choosing to uphold his personal dignity over a meager income.
Idioms Related to 不为五斗米折腰
Antonyms of 不为五斗米折腰
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wéi为yǐ已shèn甚not go too far
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Open the tool →Questions about 不为五斗米折腰
What does 不为五斗米折腰 mean?
不为五斗米折腰 (bù wèi wǔ dǒu mǐ zhé yāo) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to refuse to compromise one's integrity or principles for meager financial gain or worldly benefits; to remain incorruptible and principled despite poverty or hardship”.
How do you pronounce 不为五斗米折腰?
不为五斗米折腰 is pronounced bù wèi wǔ dǒu mǐ zhé yāo in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 不为五斗米折腰 literally mean?
Literally, 不为五斗米折腰 means “Do not bend the waist for five bushels of rice”. It is used to mean “to refuse to compromise one's integrity or principles for meager financial gain or worldly benefits; to remain incorruptible and principled despite poverty or hardship”.
Where does 不为五斗米折腰 come from?
不为五斗米折腰 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 不为五斗米折腰?
五斗米：晋代县令的俸禄，后指微薄的俸禄；折腰：弯腰行礼，指屈身于人。比喻为人清高，有骨气，不为利禄所动。