10 Chinese Idioms for Parents & Parenting

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...

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 ...

Gentle, nurturing influence

Literal: Spring wind becomes rain

This poetic metaphor traces back to the Han Dynasty's educational philosophy, where ideal teaching was compared to spring winds (春风) transforming into nurturing rain (化雨). The imagery draws from agricultural wisdom – spring breezes and gentle rains nurture plants without forcing growth. Scholar Han ...

Things happen when ready

Literal: Melon ripe stem falls

This agricultural metaphor describes how a melon (瓜) naturally falls from its stem (蒂) when ripe (熟), originating from peasant wisdom during the Spring and Autumn period. Farmers observed that forcing a melon from the vine before its time yielded poor results, while patience produced perfectly ripen...

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 ...

Learn from the worthy

Literal: See worthy wish equal

Derived from Confucius's Analects, this phrase encourages people who see (见) the worthy (贤) to wish (思) to equal (齐) them. It embodied the Confucian ideal of self-improvement through positive example. During the Han Dynasty, it became a cornerstone of educational philosophy, promoting active emulati...

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...

Childhood sweethearts or friends

Literal: Green plums and bamboo horses

This nostalgic idiom pairs green plums (青梅) with bamboo horses (竹马), originating from Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai's verse about childhood playmates. It described children gathering plums while riding makeshift hobby horses crafted from bamboo—a common children's game in ancient China. The specific imag...

Honor one's teachers or humble origins

Literal: Love fur turn inside-out fur coat

The Warring States period text 'Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals' introduces this image of loving fur (爱毛) so much that one turns a fur coat inside out (反裘) to examine its foundation. Han Dynasty scholars transformed it into a metaphor for valuing origins over appearances. In northern China, where fur ...

Find genuine pleasure in helping others

Literal: Happy to help people

This phrase originated from Confucian ethical teachings in the Analects compiled around 500 BCE. The concept appears in Confucius' discussions of different motivations for virtuous action, with internal happiness representing the highest form. During the Han Dynasty, it became central to official as...