📖 Meaning
To calculate and assess one's merits and labor. It refers to the systematic evaluation and tallying of a person's contributions and efforts, typically for the purpose of granting fair recognition or reward.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is formed by compounding two classical expressions: 计功 (reckoning merits) and 程劳 (assessing labor). It reflects the ancient bureaucratic and military practice of evaluating officials' and soldiers' contributions before distributing rewards or promotions. While not traced to a single canonical text, the concept appears throughout Chinese administrative history, from the Qin dynasty's performance-based merit system to the Han dynasty's evaluation of officials. It embodies the traditional principle that rewards should be allocated according to measured effort and achievement.
💡 Example Usage
年终考核时，主管对每位员工计功程劳，论功行赏。
During the year-end review, the manager tallied each employee's merits and efforts, rewarding them according to their contributions.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 计功程劳
- Pinyin: jì gōng chéng láo
- Literal Translation: calculate, merit, assess, labor
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4