📖 Meaning
Describes relationships, power structures, or social connections that are deeply intertwined and extremely entrenched. It conveys the idea that certain bonds or networks are so firmly knotted and rooted that they are nearly impossible to untangle or break.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom first appears in the 'Xu Zizhi Tongjian' (续资治通鉴), a historical chronicle covering the Song dynasty, in the entry for the first year of the Jingkang era under Emperor Qinzong of Song (1126 CE). It was used to describe deeply entrenched political factions whose connections were so solidly rooted that they could not be dislodged. The full original phrase reads '根结盘固，牢不可脱' — rooted, knotted, coiled, and solid, so firmly bound that escape or removal was impossible.
💡 Example Usage
这个家族在当地的势力根结盘固，难以撼动。
This family's influence in the region is deeply entrenched and nearly impossible to shake.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 根结盘固
- Pinyin: gēn jié pán gù
- Literal Translation: root, knot, coil, solid
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4