📖 Meaning
The entire world or all under heaven. It refers to everywhere within the boundaries of the earth, encompassing the whole country or the whole world. The phrase conveys a sense of total, universal scope.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Classic of Poetry (Shijing), specifically the ode 'Bei Shan' (Northern Mountain) from the Minor Odes, composed during the Zhou Dynasty. The original lines declare: 'Under the wide heaven, all is the king's land; within the shores of the realm, all are the king's subjects.' This expressed the ancient Chinese concept of universal sovereignty over all territory and people. The Han Dynasty scholar Ban Gu later condensed these lines into the four-character phrase '普天率土' in his poem 'Ming Tang' (Hall of Light).
💡 Example Usage
普天率土，各以其职，天下大治。
Throughout all the land, each fulfills their duty, and the realm is well governed.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 普天率土
- Pinyin: pǔ tiān shuài tǔ
- Literal Translation: universal sky, all land
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4