📖 Meaning
A metaphor for keeping silent out of caution or concern about the consequences of speaking. It describes someone who refrains from voicing their thoughts, akin to a bronze statue whose mouth is deliberately sealed.
📜 Origin Story
Derived from 'Kongzi Jiayu: Guan Zhou' (《孔子家语·观周》), a Han-era text attributed to the school of Confucius. It recounts that when Confucius visited the ancestral temple of Hou Ji during the Zhou dynasty, he saw a bronze figure (金人) standing before the right steps of the hall with its mouth sealed three times (三缄其口). On its back was inscribed that it represented an ancient person who was cautious in speech. Confucius used it as a lesson on the virtue of speaking carefully, and the image later became a metaphor for silence born of prudence or restraint.
💡 Example Usage
面对敏感话题，他如金人之箴，始终沉默不语。
When faced with sensitive topics, he remained as silent as the golden figure's admonition, never saying a word.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 金人之箴
- Pinyin: jīn rén zhī zhēn
- Literal Translation: golden, person, 's, admonition
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4