📖 Meaning
Juān dī means tiny drops of water, metaphorically referring to even the smallest amounts. The idiom describes turning over all funds and property belonging to the public or government entirely, keeping absolutely nothing for personal use. It emphasizes strict honesty and integrity in handling public resources.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from the Qing Dynasty satirical novel 'Guānchǎng Xiànxíng Jì' (The Bureaucracy Exposed) by Li Baojia, specifically in Chapter 33, which mocks the corruption of late Qing officialdom. The phrase describes genuine financial honesty—returning even the smallest sums of public money without keeping a fraction. It also appears in the 'Qīng Shǐ Gǎo' (Draft History of Qing), in the annals of Emperor Wenzong, where fiscal prudence and returning all revenues to the treasury are commended as essential to good governance.
💡 Example Usage
这位老会计一生清廉，所有公款涓滴归公，从不私占分毫。
This old accountant was honest his whole life; every penny of public funds was returned to the treasury in full, never taking a fraction for himself.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 涓滴归公
- Pinyin: juān dī guī gōng
- Literal Translation: trickle, drop, return, public
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4