东床坦腹 — “A son-in-law”
东床坦腹 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a son-in-law”. An excellent son-in-law, often implying someone unconventional and at ease. Literally, “lying bare-bellied on the east bed”.
东床坦腹 Pronunciation and Pinyin
东床坦腹 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 东床坦腹
Origin and Story of 东床坦腹
During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the calligrapher Wang Xizhi was highly talented in his youth. Grand Commandant Xi Jian greatly esteemed him and wished to marry his daughter to him.
So, he sent an envoy to propose marriage to Wang Xizhi's uncle, Wang Dao.
Wang Dao led the envoy to the east wing room to observe the young men. There, they found only Wang Xizhi, lying casually on the east bed with his clothes open and his belly exposed, eating food.
The envoy returned and reported to Xi Jian, saying that the one lying bare-bellied on the east bed was the suitable candidate.
Idioms Related to 东床坦腹
Synonyms of 东床坦腹
More idioms starting with 东
- dōng东yī一xià下xī西yī一xià下act aimlessly or erratically
- dōng东dǎo倒xī西wāi歪staggering and lopsided
- dōng东tōu偷xī西mō摸pilfer here and there
- dōng东tù兔xī西wū乌The relentless passage of time
- dōng东chōng冲xī西jué决floodwaters gushing and breaching banks
- dōng东chōng冲xī西zhuàng撞rush about aimlessly
- dōng东chōng冲xī西tū突charge and attack in all directions
- dōng东láo劳xī西yàn燕friends or lovers separating
- dōng东nán南zhī之bǎo宝outstanding talents from the Southeast
- dōng东nán南zhī之xiù秀Outstanding talents from the Southeast
- dōng东nán南zhī之měi美Eminence of the Southeast
- dōng东nán南bàn半bì壁southeastern half of the country
Recommended tools
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →Questions about 东床坦腹
What does 东床坦腹 mean?
东床坦腹 (dōng chuáng tǎn fù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a son-in-law”.
How do you pronounce 东床坦腹?
东床坦腹 is pronounced dōng chuáng tǎn fù in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 东床坦腹 literally mean?
Literally, 东床坦腹 means “lying bare-bellied on the east bed”. It is used to mean “a son-in-law”.
Where does 东床坦腹 come from?
东床坦腹 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 东床坦腹?
指女婿。