📖 Meaning
To make promises easily but rarely keep them, describing someone who lacks trustworthiness. It warns that those who agree to requests too readily cannot be relied upon. The idiom emphasizes the connection between careless promises and broken trust.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Chapter 63 of the Dao De Jing (《道德经》) by Laozi (老子), a philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period. The original text reads '夫轻诺必寡信，多易必多难' — 'Those who make promises lightly will surely have little trustworthiness; those who take things too easily will surely face many difficulties.' Laozi used this to caution against rashness and to advocate sincerity and caution in word and deed. The Song dynasty poet Liu Yong (柳永) later employed the idiom in his ci poem '尾犯' (Wei Fan), writing '佳人应怪我，别后寡信轻诺.' Over time, the phrase became an established idiom criticizing habitual promise-breakers.
💡 Example Usage
他寡信轻诺，答应的事从不兑现，最终失去了所有朋友。
He made promises lightly but rarely kept them, and eventually lost all his friends.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 寡信轻诺
- Pinyin: guǎ xìn qīng nuò
- Literal Translation: lacking, trust, lightly, promise
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4