📖 Meaning
To perish like grass and trees, unnoticed by the world. It is a metaphor for a person who lives an entire life without any achievement or legacy, passing through the world unremembered.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Book of Later Han' (《后汉书·朱穆传》), the biography of Zhu Mu, a scholar-official of the Eastern Han dynasty. The original text reads: '彼与草木俱朽，此与金石相倾' — 'Those decay along with grass and trees, while these lean against gold and stone.' Zhu Mu contrasted people who lived without accomplishment, perishing namelessly like vegetation, with those whose virtues endured like metal and stone. Over time the phrase became a metaphor for a life lived without leaving any mark on the world.
💡 Example Usage
一个人若不努力进取，终将与草木俱朽，不留痕迹。
If one does not strive to achieve, one will ultimately perish like grass and trees, leaving no trace behind.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 草木俱朽
- Pinyin: cǎo mù jù xiǔ
- Literal Translation: grass, wood, all, decay
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4