寸草春晖 — “An inch of grass and the spring sunlight”
寸草春晖 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “the profound love of parents is like the warmth of spring sunlight, which a child's gratitude (like an inch of grass) can never fully repay; it expresses the immense difficulty or impossibility of reciprocating such deep parental kindness”. Literally, “An inch of grass and the spring sunlight”.
寸草春晖 Pronunciation and Pinyin
寸草春晖 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 寸草春晖
Origin and Story of 寸草春晖
The idiom 'Cun Cao Chun Hui' (寸草春晖) originates from a poem titled 'You Zi Yin' (游子吟) by Meng Jiao, a poet of the Tang Dynasty.
This poem, written in deeply emotional language, expresses a loving mother's profound affection for her son who is about to leave home. It is a moving piece, consisting of only six short lines.
The general meaning is as follows: 'Oh, my son, soon to wander far from home, the clothes you wear are sewn with threads from your mother's hands. Before your departure, let me stitch them tightly, for I fear they might wear out during your long journey. Who can say that the fragile heart of a son, like a tiny blade of grass, can ever repay the mother's boundless love, which is like the warm sunlight of spring?'
The idiom 'Cun Cao Chun Hui' is a condensed form derived from this very poem.
Idioms Related to 寸草春晖
Synonyms of 寸草春晖
Antonyms of 寸草春晖
More idioms starting with 寸
- cùn寸sī丝bù不guà挂stark naked
- cùn寸sī丝bàn半sù粟something extremely small or insignificant
- cùn寸bīng兵chǐ尺tiě铁meager military resources
- cùn寸lì利bì必dé得haggle over every penny
- cùn寸shàn善piàn片cháng长slight merits or small good qualities
- cùn寸tǔ土bù不ràng让not yield an inch of ground
- cùn寸tǔ土chǐ尺dì地a tiny piece of land
- cùn寸tǔ土chǐ尺jīn金land is exceedingly precious and profitable
- cùn寸tǔ土bì必zhēng争Contend for every inch
- cùn寸dì地chǐ尺tiān天a tiny patch of land and a sliver of sky
- cùn寸xīn心bù不mèi昧maintain a clear conscience
- cùn寸xīn心qiān千gǔ古A small heart with eternal insight
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Open the tool →Questions about 寸草春晖
What does 寸草春晖 mean?
寸草春晖 (cùn cǎo chūn huī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “the profound love of parents is like the warmth of spring sunlight, which a child's gratitude (like an inch of grass) can never fully repay; it expresses the immense difficulty or impossibility of reciprocating such deep parental kindness”.
How do you pronounce 寸草春晖?
寸草春晖 is pronounced cùn cǎo chūn huī in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 寸草春晖 literally mean?
Literally, 寸草春晖 means “an inch of grass and the spring sunlight”. It is used to mean “the profound love of parents is like the warmth of spring sunlight, which a child's gratitude (like an inch of grass) can never fully repay; it expresses the immense difficulty or impossibility of reciprocating such deep parental kindness”.
Where does 寸草春晖 come from?
寸草春晖 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 寸草春晖?
寸草：小草；春晖：春天的阳光。小草微薄的心意报答不了春日阳光的深情。比喻父母的恩情，难报万一。