📖 Meaning
A metaphor for natural, unadorned beauty and intrinsic quality. It is most often used to describe a person's character as pure, honest, unpretentious, and inherently kind, without any artificial polish or affectation.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a variant of the more common expression "浑金璞玉" (unrefined gold and uncut jade). The concept traces back to the Southern Dynasties period, appearing in Liu Yiqing's "A New Account of the Tales of the World" (世说新语), where it praised individuals of outstanding natural talent who remained unpolished by worldly conventions. The substitution of "白玉" (white jade) for "璞玉" (uncut jade) reinforces the same idea: the highest quality materials need no ornamentation to reveal their worth. It became a classical standard for evaluating a person's innate moral character over their external accomplishments.
💡 Example Usage
他为人浑金白玉，一生不慕虚名。
He is a person of unadorned purity and goodness, never seeking hollow fame his entire life.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 浑金白玉
- Pinyin: hún jīn bái yù
- Literal Translation: unrefined gold, white jade
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4