📖 Meaning
This idiom refers to carrying gifts along with letters of recommendation to visit and curry favor with influential people. It describes the corrupt practice of using bribery and personal connections to seek favors or official positions. The phrase conveys disapproval of such backroom networking.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Daoist text Zhuangzi (《庄子》), specifically the chapter 'Lie Yukou' (列御寇), written during the Warring States period. The philosopher Zhuangzi (庄子) criticized petty-minded men, stating that their knowledge does not extend beyond 'straw wrappings and bamboo slips'—that is, scheming through gifts and letters of recommendation rather than pursuing genuine wisdom and virtue. Over time, the phrase became a shorthand for bribery and seeking favors through personal connections.
💡 Example Usage
他为人正直，从不参与苞苴竿牍之事。
A man of integrity, he never took part in the bribery and favor-seeking that pervaded official circles.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 苞苴竿牍
- Pinyin: bāo jū gān dú
- Literal Translation: straw wrapping for gifts, bamboo writing slips
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4