📖 Meaning
To solemnly swear an oath or make a vow, earnestly declaring one's resolve or giving a firm guarantee about something. It describes speaking with great solemnity and conviction, much like taking a binding oath or pledge.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom comes from the late-Ming vernacular story collection Shí Diǎn Tóu (《石点头》) by the pen-named author Tiānrán Chīsǒu, specifically from the tale "The Greedy Man Sells His Charms in the Six Compounds" (《贪婪汉六院卖风流》). In the story, itinerant merchants traveling the rivers and lakes are said to swear such vows by declaring, 'If I harbor deceitful intentions, I will surely meet my doom at the hands of Wu the Flayer.' Rather than a single historical event, the phrase arises as a literary illustration of how people would emphatically swear to prove their sincerity. Over time it came to mean making a solemn, heartfelt vow or promise.
💡 Example Usage
他赌誓发愿说以后再也不碰赌博了。
He swore an oath and made a vow that he would never touch gambling again.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 赌誓发愿
- Pinyin: dǔ shì fā yuàn
- Literal Translation: swear, oath, make, vow
- Category: Determination
- Characters: 4