📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a family or ruling house whose descendants prosper and flourish for a hundred generations without decline. The metaphor of roots and branches represents the main lineage and collateral branches of a clan. It conveys the ideal of enduring familial prosperity and lasting dynastic power.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in classical Chinese literature, most notably in Zhang Heng's 'Nandu Fu' (Southern Capital Rhapsody) from the Eastern Han Dynasty, where it describes a ruling house maintaining its sovereignty for generations. The term '本枝' (roots and branches) symbolizes both the direct and collateral lines of a royal or noble family. The idiom expresses the traditional Chinese ideal of lineage continuity and enduring prosperity. It is considered a variant of the closely related phrase '本支百世.'
💡 Example Usage
历代帝王都希望自己的王朝能够本枝百世，永享天下。
Successive emperors all hoped their dynasties would flourish for a hundred generations and rule the realm forever.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 本枝百世
- Pinyin: běn zhī bǒi shì
- Literal Translation: root, branches, hundred, generations
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4