📖 Meaning
Literally meaning 'picking up other people's snot and spit,' this idiom is a derogatory metaphor for someone who lacks any original ideas of their own and merely copies or repeats the statements and opinions of others. It is commonly used to criticize unoriginal scholarship, writing, or commentary.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom traces back to the Song Dynasty scholar Yan Yu's work 'Canglang Poetry Talks' (《沧浪诗话》), in his 'Reply Letter to Wu Jingxian' (答吴景先书). In the letter, Yan Yu argues that genuine poetic attainment comes from one's own hard-won insight, stating that he broke through new ground through solitary study rather than by leaning on others' fences and picking up their discarded words—'拾人涕唾.' The phrase thus arose as a sharp critique of literary imitation, emphasizing that true creation demands original labor rather than borrowed ornament.
💡 Example Usage
他这番言论拾人涕唾，毫无自己的见解。
His remarks merely parrot others, entirely lacking any original insight of his own.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 拾人涕唾
- Pinyin: shí rén tì tuò
- Literal Translation: pick up, others, snot, spit
- Category: Knowledge
- Characters: 4