📖 Meaning
Literally 'like flies chasing after a bad smell.' It describes people who flock to flatter and attach themselves to those with power, wealth, or other desirable attributes. The idiom carries a strong sense of contempt for such base, opportunistic behavior.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from Chapter 77 of 'Dream of the Red Chamber' (红楼梦) by Cao Xueqin of the Qing Dynasty. In the passage, a servant's wife, being clever and somewhat attractive, dressed herself provocatively each day. Her flirtatious behavior attracted the men of the Lai household like flies drawn to a foul stench, and gradually illicit affairs ensued. The vivid metaphor of flies swarming toward something foul has since been used to condemn people who shamelessly pursue power, money, or sensual pleasures.
💡 Example Usage
那些投机分子如蝇逐臭，纷纷攀附新上任的官员。
Those opportunists, like flies chasing a stench, rushed to curry favor with the newly appointed officials.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 如蝇逐臭
- Pinyin: rú yíng zhú chòu
- Literal Translation: like, fly, chase, stench
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4