📖 Meaning
Long sleeves make it easier to dance gracefully. Originally meaning that with the right advantages or resources, success comes more easily. Now it describes people with wealth and influence who are skilled at networking, maneuvering, and exploiting connections to get ahead.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the work Han Feizi, written by the Legalist philosopher Han Fei during the late Warring States period. In the chapter 'The Five Vermin,' Han Fei wrote 'Long sleeves aid the dance; much money aids trade' to illustrate that having resources makes success easier. The metaphor was originally neutral, describing how favorable conditions help one accomplish goals. Over time, the phrase acquired a negative connotation, referring to those who use wealth and influence to curry favor and manipulate social connections.
💡 Example Usage
他长袖善舞，在商界和政界都积累了深厚的人脉。
He is a master at working the room, having built deep connections in both business and political circles.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 长袖善舞
- Pinyin: cháng xiù shàn wǔ
- Literal Translation: long, sleeve, good at, dancing
- Category: Skill
- Characters: 4