不磷不缁 — “Unaltered by external forces, maintaining one's purity and integrity”
不磷不缁 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Unaltered by external forces, maintaining one's purity and integrity”. Incorruptible and unblemished. Literally, “not ground thin, not dyed black”.
不磷不缁 Pronunciation and Pinyin
不磷不缁 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 不磷不缁
Origin and Story of 不磷不缁
During the Spring and Autumn period, after being marginalized in the political scene of the State of Lu, Confucius led his disciples on a journey across various states. They received little recognition in places like Wey and Song.
On their way to the State of Jin, Zilu advised Confucius against seeking patronage from a petty man like Zhao Yang.
However, Confucius, believing himself to be a junzi (a noble person), declared that he would be 'ground but not thin, dyed but not black' (磨而不磷，涅而不缁), signifying his unwavering integrity and refusal to compromise his noble character, thus preserving his reputation.
Idioms Related to 不磷不缁
Synonyms of 不磷不缁
Antonyms of 不磷不缁
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 不磷不缁
What does 不磷不缁 mean?
不磷不缁 (bù lín bù zī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Unaltered by external forces, maintaining one's purity and integrity”.
How do you pronounce 不磷不缁?
不磷不缁 is pronounced bù lín bù zī in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 不磷不缁 literally mean?
Literally, 不磷不缁 means “not ground thin, not dyed black”. It is used to mean “Unaltered by external forces, maintaining one's purity and integrity”.
Where does 不磷不缁 come from?
不磷不缁 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 不磷不缁?
磨不薄，染不黑。比喻坚贞高洁的品质，不因外界影响而有所改变。