📖 Meaning
Lantian is a place in Shaanxi Province renowned since ancient times for producing fine jade. This idiom serves as a metaphor for a worthy father producing worthy sons, signifying that outstanding parents tend to raise outstanding children.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from Pei Songzhi's annotations to the Records of the Three Kingdoms (三国志), in the Biography of Zhuge Ke (诸葛恪传), which quotes the Jiangbiao Zhuan (江表传). Zhuge Jin (诸葛瑾) was a prominent minister of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period, and his son Zhuge Ke (诸葛恪) displayed remarkable talent and intelligence from a young age. When Sun Quan (孙权), the ruler of Eastern Wu, witnessed the young Zhuge Ke's brilliance, he exclaimed '蓝田生玉，真不虚也' — that the saying of Lantian producing jade is truly no empty boast.
💡 Example Usage
人人都说蓝田生玉，他的儿子果然也成了一方名士。
Everyone says that like Lantian producing jade, his son has indeed also become a renowned scholar in his own right.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 蓝田生玉
- Pinyin: lán tián shēng yù
- Literal Translation: Lantian, produce, jade
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4