📖 Meaning
Refers to a life of great wealth, high social status, and material prosperity. It describes a person who enjoys both riches and prestige, living in splendor and honor.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom first appears in the ancient text 'Guanzi · Chong Ling' (管子·重令), which criticizes officials who seek personal glory and wealth through improper means as engaging in 'rebellion.' It also appears in Wang Fu's 'Qianfu Lun · Lun Rong' (潜夫论·论荣) from the Han dynasty, which states that a truly virtuous person is not defined by high rank, generous salary, or material splendor. Later, Ming dynasty writer Ling Mengchu used it in his classic story collection 'Chuke Paian Jingqi' (初刻拍案惊奇), remarking that wealth and glory in life are often illusory and should not be taken as real.
💡 Example Usage
他一生追求荣华富贵，到头来却是一场空。
He spent his life pursuing wealth and glory, only to find it all empty in the end.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 荣华富贵
- Pinyin: róng huá fù guì
- Literal Translation: glory, splendor, wealth, nobility
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4