胶柱鼓瑟 — “To be rigidly dogmatic and inflexible”
胶柱鼓瑟 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be rigidly dogmatic and inflexible”. Refusing to adapt to changing circumstances or new situations. Literally, “Glue the bridges of a zither and play”.
胶柱鼓瑟 Pronunciation and Pinyin
胶柱鼓瑟 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 胶柱鼓瑟
Origin and Story of 胶柱鼓瑟
A man from Qi went to Zhao to learn how to play the se (a zither-like instrument). Instead of diligently studying the technique of playing the se, he simply took the pre-tuned notes from the person in Zhao, glued the tuning pegs of his instrument in place according to those notes, and happily returned to his hometown.
After returning home, the man from Qi tried for many years but could never play a single tune. He even found it strange!
Later, someone from Zhao visited, understood what had happened, and realized how foolish the man from Qi's actions were.
Idioms Related to 胶柱鼓瑟
Synonyms of 胶柱鼓瑟
Antonyms of 胶柱鼓瑟
More idioms starting with 胶
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Open the tool →Questions about 胶柱鼓瑟
What does 胶柱鼓瑟 mean?
胶柱鼓瑟 (jiāo zhù gǔ sè) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be rigidly dogmatic and inflexible”.
How do you pronounce 胶柱鼓瑟?
胶柱鼓瑟 is pronounced jiāo zhù gǔ sè in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 胶柱鼓瑟 literally mean?
Literally, 胶柱鼓瑟 means “Glue the bridges of a zither and play”. It is used to mean “to be rigidly dogmatic and inflexible”.
Where does 胶柱鼓瑟 come from?
胶柱鼓瑟 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 胶柱鼓瑟?
用胶把柱粘住以后奏琴，柱不能移动，就无法调弦。比喻固执拘泥，不知变通。