不求闻达 — “To have no desire for fame or high position”
不求闻达 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have no desire for fame or high position”. To be content with obscurity and not seek public recognition. Literally, “not seek fame and prominence”.
不求闻达 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 不bù
- 求qiú
- 闻wén
- 达dá
不求闻达 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 不求闻达
Origin and Story of 不求闻达
During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang was appointed Marquis of Wuxiang by Liu Bei and served as a key advisor to the later emperor Liu Shan. With the goal of restoring the Shu Han dynasty, Zhuge Liang launched multiple military campaigns against the state of Wei.
Before one such expedition, he presented the "Memorial on Sending Forth the Troops" (Chu Shi Biao) to the later emperor.
In this memorial, he humbly described himself as a commoner from Nanyang, stating that he had no aspirations for fame or high status. He recounted how the late emperor (Liu Bei) had personally visited his humble dwelling three times to enlist his help, deeply moving him. Therefore, out of gratitude and loyalty, he pledged to dedicate all his energy and efforts to the Shu Han dynasty until his dying day.
Idioms Related to 不求闻达
Synonyms of 不求闻达
More idioms starting with 不
- bù不yī一ér而zú足numerous and varied, impossible to list all
- bù不sān三bù不sì四improper or disreputable
- bù不shàng上bù不xià下stuck in an awkward position
- bù不shàng上bù不luò落in an awkward or embarrassing situation
- bù不shì世zhī之yè业unparalleled achievements
- bù不shì世zhī之chóu仇unrivaled enmity
- bù不shì世zhī之gōng功unparalleled achievement
- bù不shì世zhī之lüè略unparalleled strategy
- bù不sàng丧bǐ匕chàng鬯peace and order, rituals undisturbed
- bù不fēng丰bù不jiǎn俭neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不fēng丰bù不shā杀neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不wèi为wǔ五dǒu斗mǐ米zhé折yāo腰Refuse to compromise integrity for meager gain
Questions about 不求闻达
- What does 不求闻达 mean?
- 不求闻达 (bù qiú wén dá) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have no desire for fame or high position”.
- How do you pronounce 不求闻达?
- 不求闻达 is pronounced bù qiú wén dá in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 不求闻达 literally mean?
- Literally, 不求闻达 means “not seek fame and prominence”. It is used to mean “to have no desire for fame or high position”.
- Where does 不求闻达 come from?
- 不求闻达 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 不求闻达?
- 闻：有名望；达：显达。不追求名誉和地位。