📖 Meaning
The sun bakes one's clothes and dew soaks the carriage canopy. It describes traveling tirelessly through all kinds of weather, enduring hardship while rushing about on official journeys or military campaigns.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from the 'Records of the Grand Historian' (史记) by Sima Qian, in the biography of Chancellor Xiao He of the Han dynasty. During the Chu-Han contention, the future emperor Liu Bang was away campaigning while his chancellor Xiao He governed the rear. An advisor named Bao Sheng warned Xiao He that although the king himself was enduring the sun and dew on campaign, he repeatedly sent messengers to inquire after the chancellor, which signaled the king's suspicion of Xiao He's loyalty rather than genuine concern. The phrase thus evokes the relentless toil and hardship of constant travel.
💡 Example Usage
使臣一路暴衣露盖，终于抵达京城。
The envoy endured the sun and dew along the way, finally reaching the capital.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 暴衣露盖
- Pinyin: pù yī lù gài
- Literal Translation: sun-exposed clothes, dew-wet canopy
- Category: Perseverance
- Characters: 4