







进人若将加诸膝,退人若将坠诸渊 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to show extreme favoritism towards some while being excessively harsh towards others, judging people based purely on personal likes and dislikes rather than objective principles; to elevate those one favors as if placing them on one's lap and cast down those one dislikes as if pushing them into an abyss”. Literally, “To promote someone as if placing them on one's lap, and dismiss someone as if pushing them into an abyss”.
| Character | Pinyin | Strokes | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| jìn | 7 | advance, enter, eat, or receive | |
| rén | 2 | human being, person | |
| ruò | 9 | if, like, or you | |
| jiāng | 10 | about to happen, to lead | |
| jiā | 5 | to add, increase, or apply | |
| zhū | 10 | all, various, many | |
| xī | 15 | the knee joint | |
| , | , | — | |
| tuì | 10 | retreat, withdraw, decline | |
| rén | 2 | human being, person | |
| ruò | 9 | if, like, or you | |
| jiāng | 10 | about to happen, to lead | |
| zhuì | 7 | fall, drop, or sink | |
| zhū | 10 | all, various, many | |
| yuān | 11 | deep profound abyss |
During the Jin Dynasty, Xiang Xiong, who was a registrar in Henei, had a deep-seated resentment towards Liu Huai, the prefect of the commandery.
Later, when Xiang Xiong became a Huangmen Lang (a court official) and Liu Huai became a Shizhong (another court official), they treated each other like strangers upon meeting.
Emperor Wu of Jin ordered them to reconcile, but Xiang Xiong refused, stating that their bond was irrevocably broken and communication was impossible.
He then remarked, "Ancient gentlemen treated people with propriety whether promoting or dismissing them. However, today's gentlemen elevate those they favor as if placing them on their laps, and cast down those they dislike as if pushing them into an abyss."

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Open the tool →进人若将加诸膝,退人若将坠诸渊 (jìn rén ruò jiāng jiā zhū xī , tuì rén ruò jiāng zhuì zhū yuān) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to show extreme favoritism towards some while being excessively harsh towards others, judging people based purely on personal likes and dislikes rather than objective principles; to elevate those one favors as if placing them on one's lap and cast down those one dislikes as if pushing them into an abyss”.
进人若将加诸膝,退人若将坠诸渊 is pronounced jìn rén ruò jiāng jiā zhū xī , tuì rén ruò jiāng zhuì zhū yuān in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 进人若将加诸膝,退人若将坠诸渊 means “to promote someone as if placing them on one's lap, and dismiss someone as if pushing them into an abyss”. It is used to mean “to show extreme favoritism towards some while being excessively harsh towards others, judging people based purely on personal likes and dislikes rather than objective principles; to elevate those one favors as if placing them on one's lap and cast down those one dislikes as if pushing them into an abyss”.
进人若将加诸膝,退人若将坠诸渊 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
加诸膝:放在膝盖上;坠诸渊:推进深渊。指不讲原则,感情用事,对别人的爱憎态度,全凭自己的好恶来决定