📖 Meaning
Neither deceiving children nor cheating the elderly. It describes honest and fair business practices where a merchant treats all customers equally regardless of age or naivety. The idiom emphasizes commercial integrity and trustworthy dealings.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Qing dynasty novel '二十年目睹之怪现状' (Strange Events Witnessed Over Twenty Years) by Wu Jianren, published around 1903. In the fifth chapter, the narrator encounters a shopkeeper and wonders whether the establishment truly bears the common merchant pledge of 'genuine goods at fair prices, deceiving neither children nor old folks.' The expression reflects a traditional Chinese ideal of business ethics, where an honest merchant would not take advantage of any customer, however young or old.
💡 Example Usage
这家百年老店一直坚持童叟无欺，深受街坊邻居信赖。
This century-old shop has always upheld honest dealings, earning the deep trust of the neighborhood.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 童叟无欺
- Pinyin: tóng sǒu wú qī
- Literal Translation: child, old man, no, deceive
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4