📖 Meaning
Literally 'roots deep and base firm,' this idiom describes something with a deep and solid foundation that is difficult to shake or change. It is most often used of entrenched ideas, customs, or habits that have taken hold over a long period. The phrase carries a neutral tone, sometimes suggesting stability and sometimes implying stubborn resistance to reform.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom traces back to the Daoist classic Dao De Jing, attributed to Laozi of the Spring and Autumn period, which says that one who holds to the mother principle of the state can endure long, calling this 'deep roots and firm base (深根固柢), the way of long life and enduring vision.' The Legalist thinker Han Feizi, in his Warring States-era commentary 'Jie Lao' (Explaining Laozi), elaborated that a firm base allows growth and deep roots allow enduring vision. Over the centuries the phrasing shifted from '深根固柢' to the now-standard '根深蒂固.' Lu Xun later used it in his letters to describe the 'old civilization' he hoped to unsettle. Today it is commonly applied to long-standing beliefs, traditions, or vested interests.
💡 Example Usage
这种重男轻女的观念在农村根深蒂固，一时难以改变。
The preference for sons over daughters is so deeply rooted in the countryside that it cannot be changed overnight.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 根深蒂固
- Pinyin: gēn shēn dì gù
- Literal Translation: root, deep, base, firm
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4