📖 Meaning
A metaphor for accepting small bribes. '蹄' (hoof) refers to animal meat given as a gift, while '缣' (fine silk) refers to cloth given as a gift. Together they represent trivial gifts or minor bribes received by officials.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Qing dynasty scholar Wu Weiye's work 'Meicun Shihua' (Plum Village Poetry Talks). The original passage criticizes a judicial paradox: corrupt officials who plunder recklessly go unpunished, yet those who accept even trifling gifts—a small hoof or a bit of silk—are immediately arrested and prosecuted. The idiom thus came to symbolize minor bribes or petty corruption.
💡 Example Usage
这位官员虽未收受大额贿赂，却因寸蹄尺缣而被御史弹劾。
Though the official had not accepted any large bribes, he was impeached by the censor for accepting even the smallest gifts.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 寸蹄尺缣
- Pinyin: cùn tí chǐ jiān
- Literal Translation: inch, hoof, foot, fine silk
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4