敝帚自珍 — “To cherish one's own worn-out broom as a treasure”
敝帚自珍 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to cherish one's own worn-out broom as a treasure”. To value something of little objective worth simply because it is one's own or belongs to one. Literally, “To cherish one's own worn-out broom”.
敝帚自珍 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 敝bì
- 帚zhǒu
- 自zì
- 珍zhēn
敝帚自珍 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 敝帚自珍
Origin and Story of 敝帚自珍
It has been a long-standing tradition for scholars to belittle one another. Fu Yi and Ban Gu were literary peers, yet Ban Gu often looked down upon Fu Yi. In a letter to his brother Ban Chao, he once wrote: 'Wu Zhong (Fu Yi) attained the post of Archivist due to his writing skills, but once he put pen to paper, he couldn't stop himself.'
Generally, people are adept at recognizing their own merits. However, literature encompasses diverse styles, and few can truly master them all. Therefore, individuals often use their own strengths to dismiss others' shortcomings.
As a folk saying goes: 'Even a family's worn-out broom is cherished as if it were worth a thousand pieces of gold.' This illustrates the pitfall of being unable to see one's own faults or objectively evaluate one's own possessions.
Idioms Related to 敝帚自珍
Synonyms of 敝帚自珍
More idioms starting with 敝
- bì敝zhǒu帚zì自xiǎng享cherish one's own humble possessions
- bì敝wéi帷bù不qì弃Don't discard old things; they can still be useful
- bì敝gài盖bù不qì弃Don't discard old things; they still have use
- bì敝tì綈è恶sù粟live on coarse food and in shabby clothes
- bì敝tí绨è恶sù粟live a frugal or impoverished life
- bì敝yī衣xiāo枵fù腹in rags and hungry
- bì敝yī衣lì粝shí食live in extreme poverty
- bì敝chē车léi羸mǎ马simple, frugal, and unostentatious lifestyle
- bì敝gǔ鼓sàng丧tún豚futile effort
Questions about 敝帚自珍
- What does 敝帚自珍 mean?
- 敝帚自珍 (bì zhǒu zì zhēn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to cherish one's own worn-out broom as a treasure”.
- How do you pronounce 敝帚自珍?
- 敝帚自珍 is pronounced bì zhǒu zì zhēn in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 敝帚自珍 literally mean?
- Literally, 敝帚自珍 means “to cherish one's own worn-out broom”. It is used to mean “to cherish one's own worn-out broom as a treasure”.
- Where does 敝帚自珍 come from?
- 敝帚自珍 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 敝帚自珍?
- 敝：破的，坏的；珍：爱惜。把自己家里的破扫帚当成宝贝。比喻东西虽然不好，自己却很珍惜。