📖 Meaning
Refers to old habits, temperaments, or faults re-emerging after having been suppressed or corrected. It describes how a person's former behavior or bad tendencies resurface despite efforts to change. The idiom often carries a negative connotation.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to Ming dynasty playwright Mei Dingzuo's work 'Yuhe Ji' (The Jade Box), in the chapter 'Siyin' (Inheriting the Sound), where the character describes how old emotional attachments resurface despite attempts to suppress them. The more commonly seen variant is '故态复萌' (gù tài fù méng), which carries the same meaning. It later appeared in Qing dynasty literature such as Chu Renhuo's 'Sui Tang Yanyi' (Romance of Sui and Tang).
💡 Example Usage
他刚戒了几天烟，如今又旧态复萌，偷偷抽了起来。
He had only quit smoking for a few days, but now his old habit has resurfaced and he's secretly smoking again.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 旧态复萌
- Pinyin: jiù tài fù méng
- Literal Translation: old, manner/attitude, again, sprout
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4