📖 Meaning
Literally referring to silk taking on whatever color it is dyed. It serves as a metaphor for someone whose views or behavior are fickle and changeable, shifting with circumstances rather than holding firm.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Mozi (《墨子·所染》), a text from the Warring States period attributed to the philosopher Mozi (墨子). In it, Mozi observes a silk dyer at work and sighs, remarking that silk dyed with blue becomes blue, and silk dyed with yellow becomes yellow. He uses this observation to warn that a person's character is shaped by their surroundings and associations, and that those who lack firm conviction can be easily swayed this way and that.
💡 Example Usage
他这人染苍染黄，立场总是随大流而变。
He is fickle and changeable, always shifting his stance to follow the crowd.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 染苍染黄
- Pinyin: rǎn cāng rǎn huáng
- Literal Translation: dye dark-blue, dye yellow
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4