📖 Meaning
To run around everywhere and scheme relentlessly for personal gain or advantage. It describes someone who curries favor and maneuvers through connections to seek profit, often with a negative connotation of shameless self-interest.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the modern Chinese novelist Mao Dun's work 'Wavering' (动摇), part of his trilogy 'Eclipse' (蚀), published in 1928. In the novel, the phrase describes a character who is an experienced hand at currying favor and scheming for personal advancement, though he is depicted as being out of his element when dealing with modern women for the first time. The term reflects early 20th-century social critique of opportunistic behavior among officials and elites during the turbulent years of China's republican era.
💡 Example Usage
他一生奔走钻营，最终不过落得个身败名裂的下场。
He spent his life scheming for personal gain, only to end up with his reputation utterly ruined.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 奔走钻营
- Pinyin: bēn zǒu zuān yíng
- Literal Translation: run, walk, drill, camp
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4