衔环结草 — “To repay a kindness, even after death”

衔环结草 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to repay a kindness, even after death”. To express profound gratitude and repay a benefactor's kindness, often in extraordinary ways, implying a deep and lasting sense of obligation. Literally, “holding a ring in the mouth and tying grass into knots”.

Frequency

衔环结草 Pronunciation and Pinyin

衔环结草 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
衔	xián	11	hold in mouth or rank
环	huán	8	ring, surround, link
结	jié	9	tie, knot, conclude, bear fruit
草	cǎo	10	grass, straw, draft, rough

Example Sentence with 衔环结草

他曾受恩于那位长者，多年后一直心存感激，总想着能够衔环结草，报答当年的帮助。

He had received kindness from that elder many years ago, and always held deep gratitude, constantly hoping to repay the help he received with profound appreciation, as if holding a ring in his mouth and tying grass into knots.

Origin and Story of 衔环结草

The idiom "Xian Huan Jie Cao" combines two ancient stories. The "tying grass into knots" (结草) part comes from the Spring and Autumn period.

Wei Ke, a high official of the Jin state, did not follow his dying father's wish to have his concubine buried with him. Instead, he allowed her to remarry. Later, during a battle against the Qin state, the spirit of the concubine's father appeared on the battlefield, tying grass into knots to trip up Qin general Du Hui, thus helping Wei Ke win the battle as a way of repaying Wei Ke's kindness.

The "holding a ring in the mouth" (衔环) part originates from the Eastern Han Dynasty. A man named Yang Bao rescued an injured small yellow bird. After the bird recovered, it flew back to Yang Bao, carrying four jade rings in its mouth as a token of gratitude for saving its life.

Both stories exemplify profound gratitude and the repayment of kindness, even beyond the ordinary.