📖 Meaning
To evaluate one's contributions or achievements and receive corresponding rewards. It describes the principle that compensation and recognition should be proportional to merit. The idiom is often used in contexts of military honors, official promotions, or performance-based recognition.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom reflects the long-standing Chinese administrative and military practice of rewarding subjects based on assessed merit rather than favoritism. While no single classical text is cited as its definitive source, the concept appears throughout Chinese history, notably in the Han dynasty's meritocratic reforms and Tang dynasty military codes. The more common variant '论功行赏' (lùn gōng xíng shǎng) appears in historical records such as the 'Book of Han' (《汉书》), describing how Emperor Gaozu of Han rewarded his generals after unifying the empire. The phrase '论功受赏' captures the recipient's perspective—receiving what one has earned through demonstrated achievement.
💡 Example Usage
此战大捷，众将士论功受赏，各得封赐。
After this decisive victory, the soldiers were rewarded according to their merits, each receiving their due honors.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 论功受赏
- Pinyin: lùn gōng shòu shǎng
- Literal Translation: assess merit, receive reward
- Category: Success
- Characters: 4