📖 Meaning
To outline the overall principles and lay down the format or conventions for a written work. It describes the act of explaining a book's main purpose and setting up the organizational rules before the actual writing begins.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to the preface written by Du Yu (杜预), a renowned scholar-general of the Western Jin dynasty, for his commentary on the Zuo Zhuan (《春秋左传序》). In it he wrote '其发凡以言例，皆经国之常制', meaning that laying out general principles to establish rules reflects the standard systems of governance. Du Yu's preface systematically explained how Confucius compiled the Spring and Autumn Annals and how the commentary should be read. Over time, '发凡起例' became a set phrase for establishing the framework and conventions of any scholarly or literary work.
💡 Example Usage
这部专著发凡起例，体例严谨，堪称该领域的奠基之作。
This monograph lays out its principles and format with rigor, and can be regarded as a foundational work in the field.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 发凡起例
- Pinyin: fā fán qǐ lì
- Literal Translation: state the general, establish the rules
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4