不胫而走 — “To run without legs”
不胫而走 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to spread rapidly and widely without any deliberate promotion or effort, like news or rumors; to get around fast”. Literally, “to run without legs”.
不胫而走 Pronunciation and Pinyin
不胫而走 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 不胫而走
Origin and Story of 不胫而走
During the Three Kingdoms period, Sun Ce, the lord of Wu, harbored deep jealousy towards talented individuals and often found excuses to eliminate them. A talented scholar named Sheng Xiaozhang, a close friend of Kong Rong, resided in Eastern Wu. Known for his upright and aloof character, he had long been resented by Sun Ce. Kong Rong constantly worried about his safety, fearing he would be killed by Sun Ce.
One day, Kong Rong wrote a letter to Cao Cao, introducing Sheng Xiaozhang and urging Cao Cao to recruit him. In his letter, Kong Rong wrote: "If one wishes to restore the Han dynasty, one must first earnestly seek out worthy talents; and to obtain such talents, one must show them respect." He then used an analogy: "Pearls and jade, though they have no legs, arrive by themselves because people cherish them. How much more so for worthy talents who possess feet?" Kong Rong further emphasized: "As long as one respects talented individuals, they will come running."
The idiom "不胫而走" (bù jìng ér zǒu) originated from this story. It originally alluded to talented individuals seeking out those who appreciated their abilities. Later, its meaning evolved to describe how news or things spread rapidly and widely without any deliberate promotion or effort.
Idioms Related to 不胫而走
Synonyms of 不胫而走
Antonyms of 不胫而走
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
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Open the tool →Questions about 不胫而走
What does 不胫而走 mean?
不胫而走 (bù jìng ér zǒu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to spread rapidly and widely without any deliberate promotion or effort, like news or rumors; to get around fast”.
How do you pronounce 不胫而走?
不胫而走 is pronounced bù jìng ér zǒu in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 不胫而走 literally mean?
Literally, 不胫而走 means “to run without legs”. It is used to mean “to spread rapidly and widely without any deliberate promotion or effort, like news or rumors; to get around fast”.
Where does 不胫而走 come from?
不胫而走 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 不胫而走?
胫：小腿；走：跑。没有腿却能跑。比喻事物无需推行，就已迅速地传播开去。