📖 Meaning
When going out to handle affairs, one should be as careful and respectful as if receiving an honored guest. It describes conducting oneself with earnestness and prudence in all endeavors. The phrase emphasizes a principled, reverent attitude toward daily responsibilities.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from the Zuo Zhuan (左传), a foundational historical text of the Spring and Autumn period, specifically from the record of Duke Xi's thirty-third year (僖公三十三年). A minister quotes the saying 'when going out, act as though receiving a guest; when handling affairs, act as though conducting a sacrifice—this is the way of benevolence.' The saying encapsulates the Confucian ideal that everyday conduct should carry the same gravity and sincerity as ceremonial occasions. It became a lasting moral precept about earnestness and respect in one's actions.
💡 Example Usage
他做事出门如宾，从不敢有半点懈怠。
He handles every task as carefully as receiving an honored guest, never daring to be the least bit negligent.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 出门如宾
- Pinyin: chū mén rú bīn
- Literal Translation: go, out, door, like, guest
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4