贵人多忘 — “Noble people often forget”
贵人多忘 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Important or influential people often forget old acquaintances or past favors; it can also be used humorously to tease someone for being forgetful”. Literally, “Noble people often forget”.
贵人多忘 Pronunciation and Pinyin
贵人多忘 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 贵人多忘
Origin and Story of 贵人多忘
During the Tang Dynasty, Wang Lingran, although having passed the imperial examination to become a 'jinshi', had not yet been appointed an official position. He pondered day and night on how to enter officialdom.
He recalled that he had once interacted with Gao Changyu, who was now a Censor-in-chief. However, it seemed Gao Changyu had forgotten him since becoming an official.
So, Wang Lingran wrote a letter to him, using a somewhat threatening tone. In the letter, he suggested that if one, upon becoming an important person, forgets their friends, those friends, when they eventually gain power, might return the favor in kind.
Idioms Related to 贵人多忘
Synonyms of 贵人多忘
More idioms starting with 贵
- guì贵bù不líng凌jiàn贱The noble do not oppress the humble
- guì贵bù不zhào召jiāo骄High status does not invite arrogance
- guì贵bù不kě可yán言too noble to be described
- guì贵bù不qī期jiāo骄High position may lead to unintended arrogance
- guì贵rén人yǎn眼gāo高Influential people look down on others
- guì贵rén人jiàn贱jǐ己value others, despise oneself
- guì贵guān冠lǚ履qīng轻tóu头zú足reverse priorities
- guì贵gǔ古jiàn贱jīn今revere the past, belittle the present
- guì贵zài在zhī知xīn心True friendship values mutual understanding
- guì贵zhuàng壮jiàn贱ruò弱value strength, despise weakness
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Open the tool →Questions about 贵人多忘
What does 贵人多忘 mean?
贵人多忘 (guì rén duō wàng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Important or influential people often forget old acquaintances or past favors; it can also be used humorously to tease someone for being forgetful”.
How do you pronounce 贵人多忘?
贵人多忘 is pronounced guì rén duō wàng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 贵人多忘 literally mean?
Literally, 贵人多忘 means “Noble people often forget”. It is used to mean “Important or influential people often forget old acquaintances or past favors; it can also be used humorously to tease someone for being forgetful”.
Where does 贵人多忘 come from?
贵人多忘 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 贵人多忘?
贵人：地位贵显的人。指地位显赫的人往往不念旧交或讥笑人健忘。