📖 Meaning
Refers to eating one's own son's flesh to curry favor and win merit from one's ruler. It describes an extreme form of sycophancy in which a person abandons all human decency and family bonds to demonstrate loyalty and seek personal advancement. The idiom is used to condemn ruthlessly self-serving behavior that sacrifices even one's own flesh and blood.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom stems from the story of Yue Yang (乐羊), a general serving the state of Wei during the Warring States period. When Yue Yang led a campaign to besiege the state of Zhongshan, the Zhongshan ruler—whose territory sheltered Yue Yang's son—had the son killed and cooked into a meat stew, which was then sent to Yue Yang's camp. To prove his unwavering loyalty to Marquis Wen of Wei (魏文侯), Yue Yang ate the stew made from his own son's flesh. Though his action impressed the Marquis, it also alarmed him, as a man who could devour his own son was deemed capable of betraying anyone. The story became a lasting symbol of sacrificing kin for political gain.
💡 Example Usage
历史上食子徇君之徒，虽得一时宠信，终为世人所不齿。
Throughout history, those who devoured their own sons to please their lords may have won temporary favor, but were ultimately held in universal contempt.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 食子徇君
- Pinyin: shí zǐ xùn jūn
- Literal Translation: eat, son, sacrifice for, lord
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4