📖 Meaning
Like egrets and mandarin ducks flying in orderly formation, this idiom metaphorically describes the neat and orderly ranks of civil and military officials as they assemble for a court audience. It conveys the disciplined, hierarchical arrangement of the bureaucracy.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom draws on the imagery of waterbirds — egrets (鹭) and mandarin ducks (鸳) — that naturally fly in orderly lines. Classical Chinese poets and prose writers used this avian metaphor to depict the solemn, well-ordered procession of court officials entering the imperial hall for audience. It appears in various literary works describing court ceremonial without being tied to a single specific historical anecdote.
💡 Example Usage
百官鹭序鸳行，依次步入大殿朝见天子。
The officials entered the great hall in orderly ranks, like egrets and mandarin ducks in formation, to have an audience with the emperor.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鹭序鸳行
- Pinyin: lù xù yuān xíng
- Literal Translation: egret, order, mandarin duck, formation
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4