📖 Meaning
This idiom metaphorically describes the ability of a son or younger brother to inherit and carry on the profession or enterprise of his father or elder brother. It originates from the observation that skilled craftsmen's sons naturally absorb the family trade through long exposure and imitation. It celebrates intergenerational continuity of skill and vocation.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Record of Education' (学记) chapter of the Book of Rites (礼记), a foundational Confucian text compiled during the Han dynasty from earlier Zhou dynasty ritual traditions. The passage observes that the son of a skilled metalworker, through daily observation, naturally learns to craft fur garments, just as the bow-maker's son learns to weave winnowing baskets. The underlying principle is that children absorb their family's craft through immersion and imitation rather than formal instruction alone. Over time, the phrase came to symbolize filial succession of a family profession or enterprise.
💡 Example Usage
他从小跟随父亲学艺，为裘为箕，如今已成为远近闻名的匠人。
From a young age he apprenticed under his father, carrying on the family craft, and has now become a renowned artisan known far and wide.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 为裘为箕
- Pinyin: wéi qiú wéi jī
- Literal Translation: make, fur coat, make, winnowing basket
- Category: Skill
- Characters: 4