📖 Meaning
This idiom refers to weeping over the qilin and mourning the phoenix—mythical auspicious creatures that, according to legend, only appear during times of peace and prosperity. It expresses deep sorrow and lamentation over the decline of a nation or era. The phrase evokes Confucius's grief at living in chaotic times when such omens of good governance could no longer be found.
📜 Origin Story
According to the Gongyang Commentary (Annals of Duke Ai, Year 14) and the Analects (Zi Han chapter), Confucius wept when a qilin was captured and killed during a chaotic period, interpreting it as an ill omen that the age of sage-kings had passed. He also lamented that the phoenix—a symbol of virtuous governance—never appeared, which he took as a sign that his Way would not be realized. These two episodes were later combined into the idiom 'weeping over the qilin and mourning the phoenix,' symbolizing grief over national decline and the absence of benevolent rule.
💡 Example Usage
他读史至王朝末世，不禁泣麟悲凤，为天下苍生深深叹息。
Reading history to the fall of a dynasty, he could not help but lament like one weeping over the qilin and mourning the phoenix, sighing deeply for the suffering of the common people.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 泣麟悲凤
- Pinyin: qǐ lín bēi fèng
- Literal Translation: weep, qilin, mourn, phoenix
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4