受宠若惊 — “To be overwhelmed by an unexpected favor”
受宠若惊 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be overwhelmed by an unexpected favor”. Honor, or praise, feeling both delighted and somewhat uneasy or undeserving. Literally, “receive favor as if surprised/startled”.
受宠若惊 Pronunciation and Pinyin
受宠若惊 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 受宠若惊
Origin and Story of 受宠若惊
During the Tang Dynasty, an official named Lu Chengqing was tasked with investigating a canal boat accident. He repeatedly changed the performance appraisal of the responsible canal official, from 'below average' to 'average' and then to 'above average.' Despite these shifts, the official remained indifferent to both favor and disgrace.
Later, Lu Chengqing himself experienced many ups and downs in his career and life. However, his mind always remained as calm as still water, and he never felt overwhelmed by favor or distressed by the unpredictable turns of fortune.
Idioms Related to 受宠若惊
Synonyms of 受宠若惊
Antonyms of 受宠若惊
More idioms starting with 受
- shòu受zhī之wú无kuì愧to be worthy of receiving
- shòu受zhī之yǒu有kuì愧feel unworthy of receiving
- shòu受zhì制yú于rén人to be controlled by others
- shòu受jiā夹bǎn板qì气caught between two conflicting parties
- shòu受jiā夹bǎn板zuì罪caught between two difficult parties
- shòu受pà怕dān担jīng惊filled with fear and anxiety
- shòu受yì益fěi匪qiǎn浅benefited greatly
- shòu受piàn骗shàng上dàng当to be deceived and suffer a loss
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Open the tool →Questions about 受宠若惊
What does 受宠若惊 mean?
受宠若惊 (shòu chǒng ruò jīng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be overwhelmed by an unexpected favor”.
How do you pronounce 受宠若惊?
受宠若惊 is pronounced shòu chǒng ruò jīng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 受宠若惊 literally mean?
Literally, 受宠若惊 means “receive favor as if surprised/startled”. It is used to mean “to be overwhelmed by an unexpected favor”.
Where does 受宠若惊 come from?
受宠若惊 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 受宠若惊?
宠：宠爱。因为得到宠爱或赏识而又高兴，又不安。
