📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a monarch who is exceptionally diligent in attending to state affairs. It originates from the practice of weighing official documents daily by a fixed measure to ensure all were reviewed before rest. It emphasizes relentless dedication to governance and administrative duty.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase traces back to the historical accounts of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of Qin, renowned for his extraordinary diligence in governance. According to tradition, he set a daily quota of bamboo-slip documents measured by weight using a steelyard (衡) and the unit shi (石), refusing to rest until all were reviewed. The Song dynasty official Li Gang (李纲) cited this in his work 'Jianyan Jintui Zhi' to argue that even such tireless diligence is futile if a ruler fails to distinguish worthy ministers from petty ones. The idiom thus serves as both praise for diligence and a caution that hard work alone cannot substitute for sound judgment in leadership.
💡 Example Usage
他每日衡石程书，处理政务至深夜，堪称勤勉之君。
He weighed his documents and worked through state affairs deep into the night every day, truly a diligent ruler.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 衡石程书
- Pinyin: héng shí chéng shū
- Literal Translation: steelyard, stone (weight unit), measure, documents
- Category: Leadership
- Characters: 4