📖 Meaning
To pander to popular opinion or curry favor with the powerful in order to gain a false reputation. It describes someone who compromises their principles and integrity to win public approval, then uses that approval to steal an undeserved reputation rather than earning it through genuine merit.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from Qing Dynasty scholar and reformer Liang Qichao's work 'On the New People' (《新民说》). Liang observed that many talented intellectuals of his time had discovered that pandering to public sentiment was a 'secret key' to gaining fame without substance. He lamented that once people mastered this trick, they abandoned all moral restraint and personal integrity, caring nothing for honor or discipline. The phrase captures his critique of those who use intellectual gifts as tools for ingratiation rather than for genuine contribution to society.
💡 Example Usage
他一生阿世盗名，从未有过真正的建树。
He spent his entire life currying favor and stealing fame, never achieving anything of real substance.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 阿世盗名
- Pinyin: ē shì dào míng
- Literal Translation: flatter the world, steal fame
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4