📖 Meaning
To sing praise of someone's achievements and extol their virtues. The phrase typically describes excessive flattery or sycophantic praise of a ruler's or leader's accomplishments and moral character. It often carries a negative connotation, implying the praise is undeserved or motivated by self-interest.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from the 'Records of the Grand Historian' (史记), specifically the 'Annals of Zhou' (周本纪), compiled by Sima Qian during the Han dynasty. The original text reads, 'The people all sang of him with joy and praised his virtue,' referring to the common people of Zhou celebrating their benevolent ruler's good governance. Over centuries, the expression evolved to describe the act of lavishing praise on someone's merits and virtues, often with an implication of excessive or self-serving flattery rather than genuine admiration.
💡 Example Usage
这篇文章通篇歌功颂德，毫无客观可言。
This article is filled from beginning to end with praise of merits and virtues, with no objectivity whatsoever.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 歌功颂德
- Pinyin: gē gōng sòng dé
- Literal Translation: sing, merit, praise, virtue
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4