📖 Meaning
Describes the extravagant dining customs of ancient aristocrats, who ate with bronze bells chiming and food served in ceremonial tripods. It symbolizes a lavish, opulent lifestyle of the nobility.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian" (史记·货殖列传) in the Han dynasty, where he observed that even those with humble trades, like the Zhi family of knife-sharpeners, could rise to aristocratic dining customs with bells and tripods. The expression was later immortalized by the Tang dynasty poet Wang Bo in his famous "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" (滕王阁序), where he described prosperous families whose bells rang and tripods were arrayed at mealtimes.
💡 Example Usage
昔日鼎食钟鸣的豪门，如今已家道中落。
The once lavishly dining noble family has now fallen into decline.
🏷️ Category
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🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鼎食钟鸣
- Pinyin: dǐng shí zhōng míng
- Literal Translation: cooking tripod, eat, bell, ring
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4