📖 Meaning
To write historical records truthfully and factually, without concealment or distortion. It embodies the principle of journalistic and historical integrity — recording events exactly as they happened, regardless of pressure or personal consequence.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom appears in Chapter 35 of Zeng Pu's Qing Dynasty novel 'Nie Hai Hua' (《孽海花》): 'I write with my brush held straight, hanging it at the nation's gate, not a single word can be added or removed.' The underlying spirit, however, dates back to the Spring and Autumn period, when the Taishi historians of the State of Qi famously chose death over falsifying records. Their unwavering commitment to truthful chronicling established the archetype of the upright historian in Chinese tradition.
💡 Example Usage
作为史官，他始终坚持秉笔直书，从不向权势低头。
As a court historian, he always insisted on recording the truth without flinching, never bowing to those in power.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 秉笔直书
- Pinyin: bǐng bǐ zhí shū
- Literal Translation: grasp, brush, straight, write
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4