门墙桃李 — “Disciples or students of a respected teacher”

门墙桃李 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Disciples or students of a respected teacher”. Often implying their success or prominence.

Frequency

门墙桃李 Pronunciation and Pinyin

门墙桃李 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
门	mén	3	door, gate, entrance
墙	qiáng	14	wall
桃	táo	10	peach fruit or tree
李	lǐ	7	plum tree or fruit

Example Sentence with 门墙桃李

这位老教授桃李满天下，他的门墙桃李遍布各行各业，为社会做出了卓越贡献。

This veteran professor has students all over the world; his disciples are spread across various industries, making outstanding contributions to society.

Origin and Story of 门墙桃李

During the Spring and Autumn period, Shu Sun Wu Shu, a high official of the State of Lu, praised Confucius's student Duanmu Ci (Zigong), saying he was superior to Confucius. Zigong humbly replied that he could only ever hope to enter Confucius's outer gate.

Later, Yang Hu, after committing a crime in the State of Wei, fled north to the State of Jin. He told Zhao Jianzi that half of the officials in the imperial court were his students, yet instead of helping him, they harmed him. Zhao Jianzi retorted that what he had cultivated were not peaches and plums (meaning good students or disciples) but caltrops (thorny weeds, implying ungrateful or troublesome followers).