📖 Meaning
Originally referred to the ceremonial practice of bidding farewell to departing officials and welcoming newly appointed replacements. It is now also used more generally for personnel turnover or the comings and goings of social life. The phrase conveys the cyclical nature of replacement and succession.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the 'Book of Han' (汉书), specifically the biography of Wang Jia (王嘉), a high-ranking official during the Western Han dynasty. Wang Jia memorialized the throne, lamenting that officials would often serve only a few months before being replaced, with the constant process of sending off the old and welcoming the new clogging the roads. He criticized the instability this brought to governance. The phrase later extended beyond official transfers to describe any cyclical succession of people.
💡 Example Usage
每逢岁末，公司里送故迎新，人来人往，早已见怪不怪。
At the end of each year, the company sees a constant turnover—bidding farewell to old colleagues and welcoming new ones—which has long become unremarkable.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 送故迎新
- Pinyin: sòng gù yíng xīn
- Literal Translation: send off the old, welcome the new
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4