10 Respectful Chinese Idioms for Father's Day

Unshakeable despite adversity

Literal: Bend hundred times never yield

Dating to the Warring States period, this idiom describes bamboo that bends a hundred (百) times (折) but never (不) yields (挠). The imagery comes from ancient observations of bamboo groves surviving severe storms by bending rather than breaking. The metaphor gained particular significance during the T...

Misfortune might be a blessing

Literal: Old man loses horse

This profound idiom originates from the story of a wise old man (塞翁) living near the northern border who lost his prized horse (失马). When neighbors came to console him, he asked, 'How do you know this isn't good fortune?' Indeed, the horse later returned with a magnificent wild horse. When neighbors...

Student surpasses master

Literal: Blue comes from indigo plant

This idiom comes from a statement by Xunzi, noting that while blue (青) dye comes from (出于) the indigo plant (蓝), it surpasses its source in depth of color. The metaphor gained prominence during the Han Dynasty in discussions of education and generational progress. It celebrates how students can surp...

Progress needs constant effort

Literal: Boat moving against current

This idiom describes a boat (舟) moving (行) against (逆) the current (水), originally appearing in Tang Dynasty texts discussing persistence in difficult endeavors. The metaphor draws from the experience of river traders who understood that stopping meant drifting backward. During the Song Dynasty, it ...

Achieve even greater success

Literal: Hundred foot pole top

Emerging from Chan Buddhist teachings of the Tang Dynasty, this idiom depicts a person balanced atop a hundred-foot (百尺) pole (竿头). The image comes from a dialogue between Master Fengxue and his disciples about transcendence, suggesting that true achievement requires advancing even when you seem to ...

Unity creates strength

Literal: Many wills make wall

This architectural metaphor shows how many wills (众志) can form an impenetrable wall (城), drawing from ancient Chinese defensive architecture. It gained significance during the Warring States period when city walls required massive coordinated effort to construct and defend. Historical records detail...

Perfect through careful work

Literal: Jade becomes perfect

Originally appearing in the Classic of Poetry, this idiom references the painstaking process of jade (玉) craftsmanship, where the stone becomes (成) perfected through careful work (汝). Ancient craftsmen observed that jade's true beauty emerged only through patient, deliberate cultivation. During the ...

Experience brings wisdom

Literal: Old horse knows way

Dating back to the Zhou Dynasty, this idiom comes from the story of Duke Mu of Qin who, lost in unfamiliar territory, relied on an old horse (老马) to find their way (识途) home through a snowstorm. The horse, having traversed these paths in its youth, remembered the safe routes despite years passing. O...

Success after long preparation

Literal: Thick accumulation thin launch

This idiom compares patient accumulation (积) of deep (厚) knowledge with the eventual release (发) that requires minimal (薄) effort. It emerged during the Tang Dynasty literary circles, where scholars emphasized sustained preparation over hasty creation. Historical accounts describe how poet Du Fu spe...

Ruin through impatient intervention

Literal: Pull seedlings help growth

This agricultural idiom describes the counterproductive action of pulling up (拔) seedlings (苗) to help (助) their growth (长), originating from Mencius's writings during the Warring States period. He recounted a story of an impatient farmer who, unsatisfied with his seedlings' slow growth, pulled them...