📖 Meaning
The Yellow River becomes as thin as a belt and Mount Tai as small as a whetstone. It is a metaphor for an oath or resolve that remains unshaken no matter how much time passes or what turmoil occurs.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from the 'Records of the Grand Historian' (史记) by Sima Qian, in the chapter 'Year Table of the Marquises Enfeoffed by Han Gaozu.' When Liu Bang, founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, granted titles to his meritorious officials, he swore an oath: 'May the Yellow River be like a belt, Mount Tai like a whetstone, the state forever at peace, extending to descendants.' The imagery expresses that even should the great river shrink to a belt and the great mountain wear down to a whetstone over the ages, the oath shall remain unbroken.
💡 Example Usage
他立下誓言，河山带砺，永不相负。
He swore an oath, firm as river and mountain, never to betray her.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 河山带砺
- Pinyin: hé shān dài lì
- Literal Translation: river, mountain, belt, whetstone
- Category: Determination
- Characters: 4