董狐直笔 — “To write history impartially and truthfully”

董狐直笔 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to write history impartially and truthfully”. To record facts fearlessly, without succumbing to pressure or power; referring to an upright historian or a spirit of journalistic integrity. Literally, “Dong Hu's upright brush”.

Frequency

董狐直笔 Pronunciation and Pinyin

董狐直笔 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
董	dǒng	13	supervise and manage
狐	hú	8	fox, cunning, suspicious
直	zhí	8	straight, direct, honest
笔	bǐ	10	writing tool, stroke, to write

Example Sentence with 董狐直笔

撰写历史文献时，他总是坚持董狐直笔的精神，不为任何压力所动

When compiling historical documents, he always upheld the spirit of Dong Hu's upright brush, refusing to be swayed by any pressure.

Origin and Story of 董狐直笔

During the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Ling of Jin was notoriously cruel. His prime minister, Zhao Dun, advised him to mend his ways. Duke Ling, however, sought to kill Zhao Dun, who then prepared to flee.

Subsequently, Zhao Chuan, a relative of Zhao Dun, assassinated Duke Ling.

Dong Hu, the Grand Scribe, recorded in the historical annals that "Zhao Dun murdered his lord." Zhao Dun was displeased and demanded that the record be changed. Dong Hu replied, "As prime minister, when your ruler was murdered and you did not pursue the assassin, you are the principal culprit. I will not alter this, even if it costs me my life."