📖 Meaning
To accumulate virtue and good deeds over time. It describes the practice of consistently performing acts of goodness to build up moral merit. The phrase emphasizes that lasting moral standing is achieved through sustained, generations-long effort rather than sudden acts.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from Sima Qian's 'Records of the Grand Historian' (史记), written during the Western Han dynasty. In the commentary on the biography of Han Xin and Lu Wan, Sima Qian notes that they did not come from families that had accumulated virtue and goodness over generations, but achieved success through temporary stratagems and force. In another chapter, Lou Jing (娄敬) advises Emperor Gaozu of Han that the Zhou dynasty's ancestors, beginning with Hou Ji who was enfeoffed by Emperor Yao at Tai, had accumulated virtue and goodness for over ten generations before establishing their rule.
💡 Example Usage
这户人家世代积德累善，深受乡邻敬重。
This family has accumulated virtue and goodness for generations, earning the deep respect of their neighbors.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 积德累善
- Pinyin: jī dé lěi shàn
- Literal Translation: accumulate virtue, accumulate goodness
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4