📖 Meaning
To pursue good fortune and steer clear of misfortune. It embodies the practical wisdom of making choices that maximize benefit while minimizing danger. The idiom is often used to describe prudent decision-making in the face of uncertainty.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom appears in two notable Ming dynasty works. In Shen Jing's play 'Shuang Zhu Ji' (The Tale of Twin Pearls), it is described as 'a matter for Confucian scholars,' framing it as a cultivated virtue. It also appears in Chapter 62 of Luo Guanzhong's 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' where a character invokes the sage's teaching that 'utmost sincerity' allows one to foresee events and thus seek good fortune while avoiding calamity. Both sources anchor the idiom in the Confucian tradition of pragmatic wisdom and foresight.
💡 Example Usage
为人处世要学会趋吉避凶，方能长久安稳。
In navigating life, one must learn to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune in order to remain secure in the long run.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 趋吉避凶
- Pinyin: qū jí bì xiōng
- Literal Translation: seek, auspicious, avoid, calamity
- Category: Wisdom
- Characters: 4