簠簋之风 — “A corrupt practice of bribery and graft among officials”

簠簋之风 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a corrupt practice of bribery and graft among officials”. The atmosphere of official corruption.

Frequency

簠簋之风 Pronunciation and Pinyin

簠簋之风 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
簠	fǔ	18	ancient grain vessel
簋	guǐ	17	ancient Chinese ritual food vessel
之	zhī	4	possessive or connective particle
风	fēng	4	wind, air current, custom

Example Sentence with 簠簋之风

当时，一些地方的官场上弥漫着簠簋之风，让百姓苦不堪言。

At that time, a corrupt practice of bribery and graft permeated some local official circles, causing immense suffering to the common people.

Origin and Story of 簠簋之风

During the Qing Dynasty, in the Kangxi era, officialdom was rife with corruption and bribery.

Zhao Lun Langxian from Laiyang, who served as a supervisor of education in Jiangnan in the 21st year of Kangxi's reign (1682), decided to set an example himself to change this corrupt atmosphere (簠簋之风).

While crossing the Yangtze River on a boat, he struck the oar and swore an oath: "If I accept even a tiny personal gain, I shall not return alive to Jiangbei."

He maintained absolute integrity, even visiting local officials empty-handed, which became a widely praised story at the time.