📖 Meaning
To temper one's moral integrity and cultivate one's conduct. It describes a person who diligently refines their character and upholds high ethical standards. The phrase emphasizes active, ongoing self-discipline rather than passive goodness.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from the Kongcongzi (《孔丛子·公仪》), a text traditionally attributed to descendants of Confucius. It describes Gongyi Xiu, a worthy of the state of Lu during the Warring States period, who tempered his integrity and cultivated his conduct, delighted in the Way and loved antiquity, remained indifferent to glory and profit, and refused to serve the feudal lords. Gongyi Xiu was historically known as a prime minister of Lu who prized moral purity, famously refusing gifts such as fish to avoid any compromise of his principles.
💡 Example Usage
他一生砥节励行，从不为名利所动。
He spent his life tempering his integrity and cultivating his conduct, never once swayed by fame or profit.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 砥节励行
- Pinyin: dǐ jié lì xíng
- Literal Translation: whet integrity, encourage conduct
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4