📖 Meaning
To bathe and perfume oneself repeatedly as an act of utmost reverence and sincerity. It describes the elaborate ritual purification one undergoes before meeting a revered person or performing a sacred duty, signifying profound respect and solemn devotion.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from a letter written by Han Yu (韩愈), the great Tang Dynasty essayist, to Minister Meng (孟尚书). In the letter, Han Yu expressed that he would bathe three times and fumigate himself with incense three times before visiting someone of exceptional virtue and moral character. The practice reflects ancient Chinese ritual customs where purification was a prerequisite for approaching the divine or the highly esteemed. Over time, the phrase became a fixed expression for showing extreme respect and earnestness.
💡 Example Usage
他三沐三薰后才敢去拜见老师。
Only after bathing and perfuming himself three times did he dare to go pay respects to his teacher.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 三沐三薰
- Pinyin: sān mù sān xūn
- Literal Translation: three baths, three fumigations
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4