📖 Meaning
This idiom describes how noble moral integrity can inspire people to strive upward and improve themselves. Specifically, it means that exposure to a person of exemplary virtue can make the greedy become honest and the cowardly become resolute. It emphasizes the transformative power of moral example.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from 'Mencius: Wanzhang, Part II' (《孟子·万章下》), a text from the Warring States period. Mencius stated that those who hear of the exemplary conduct of Bo Yi—a righteous figure of the late Shang dynasty who refused to serve the Zhou and starved on Mount Shouyang—will have the greedy become honest and the cowardly gain determination. Bo Yi's unwavering moral character thus serves as a powerful inspiration to others. The idiom was later used by scholars such as Song Lian of the Ming dynasty to praise individuals of outstanding integrity.
💡 Example Usage
先生立朝大节，足以廉顽立懦，故为世人所称颂。
The gentleman's steadfast moral integrity in office was sufficient to inspire the greedy toward honesty and the cowardly toward resolve, and thus he was praised by all.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 廉顽立懦
- Pinyin: lián wán lì nuò
- Literal Translation: honest, stubborn, establish, cowardly
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4