📖 Meaning
A metaphor for students receiving earnest guidance and instruction from a good teacher. It compares students to peach and plum blossoms nurtured by the gentle spring wind of a mentor's teaching. The imagery evokes warmth, growth, and the flourishing of disciples under a master's care.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom draws on the classical Chinese metaphor of 'peaches and plums' (桃李) to represent students or disciples, a usage dating back to the Tang dynasty when it was said that a great teacher's students were spread everywhere like peach and plum trees. The addition of 'spring wind' (春风) evokes the life-giving warmth of spring that nurtures blossoms, paralleling how a teacher's patient instruction helps students grow and flourish. Together the phrase paints a picture of a benevolent educator cultivating talent as gently and effectively as the spring breeze coaxes flowers into bloom.
💡 Example Usage
恩师桃李春风，门下弟子遍及天下。
Nurtured by our beloved teacher's spring-wind guidance, his disciples are now spread throughout the world.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 桃李春风
- Pinyin: táo lǐ chūn fēng
- Literal Translation: peach, plum, spring, wind
- Category: Learning
- Characters: 4