📖 Meaning
To not follow prevailing vulgar customs or popular trends. It describes someone of noble character who refuses to conform to the common, base practices of society. The term conveys moral integrity and independence of spirit.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Book of Rites' (《礼记·射义》), a foundational Confucian text compiled during the Han dynasty, which states 'one should not follow the flow of vulgar customs.' The work records Confucian teachings on ritual archery and moral conduct. It emphasizes that a gentleman cultivates inner virtue rather than bending to the popular fashions of the masses. The idiom later became widely used in literature to praise individuals of upright character.
💡 Example Usage
他一生不同流俗，始终坚守自己的学术理想。
Throughout his life he refused to follow the crowd, always holding fast to his scholarly ideals.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 不同流俗
- Pinyin: bù tóng liú sú
- Literal Translation: not, same, flow, custom
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4