📖 Meaning
Daily inquiry about parents' well-being and attending to their meals, describing an ancient ritual of filial service practiced by princes and royal heirs toward their parents. It exemplifies the Confucian virtue of filial piety (xiao) within aristocratic households of ancient China.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the 'Wen Wang Shi Zi' chapter of the Book of Rites (Li Ji), compiled during the Zhou dynasty. It describes how King Wen of Zhou, while still heir apparent to his father Wang Ji, would rise at the first cock-crow, dress formally, and go three times daily to his father's quarters to ask after his health. At mealtime he would personally inspect whether the food was at the proper temperature, and after the meal he would inquire what his father had eaten, embodying the model conduct expected of a filial son and future ruler.
💡 Example Usage
太子每日鸡鸣而起，问安视膳，侍奉双亲从未懈怠。
The crown prince rose at cock-crow each day, inquiring after his parents' health and attending to their meals, never once neglecting his filial duties.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 问安视膳
- Pinyin: wèn ān shì shàn
- Literal Translation: ask about peace, inspect the meal
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4