贫贱之知不可忘，糟糠之妻不下堂 | Never forget old friends or abandon your wife

pín贫jiàn贱zhī之zhī知bù不kě可wàng忘，，zāo糟kāng糠zhī之qī妻bù不xià下táng堂

Never forget friends made in adversity, and never abandon a wife who has shared your poverty and hardships.

他虽然现在事业有成，但始终牢记着贫贱之知不可忘，糟糠之妻不下堂的道理，对老朋友和妻子都很好。

Although he is now successful in his career, he always remembers the principle that old friends from humble beginnings should not be forgotten, and a wife who shared hardships should not be abandoned, treating his old friends and wife very well.

Era:

Ancient

Frequency:

Synonym:

贫贱之交不可忘，糟糠之妻不下堂

Story:

In the early Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Liu Xiu appointed Song Hong, who had been a chamberlain during the Western Han Dynasty, promoting him to 'Grand Master of Remonstrance'. Liu Xiu's sister was a widow and had developed feelings for Song Hong.

Liu Xiu wanted to marry his sister to Song Hong. He asked Song Hong for his opinion on the saying 'to abandon old friends when one becomes wealthy, and divorce one's wife when one becomes rich'.

Song Hong replied, 'Friends made in poverty should not be forgotten, and a wife who shared hardships should not be cast aside.' Liu Xiu had no choice but to give up the idea.

Next Idiom