📖 Meaning
A general term referring to the most powerful and privileged members of the aristocracy — high-ranking nobles, court officials, and the elite of the wealthy and influential classes. It emphasizes both noble rank and political eminence, describing those who hold great power and honor at the pinnacle of society.
📜 Origin Story
No single documented origin is recorded for this idiom, so it is best understood as a compound of allusions rather than a specific event. The element 五侯 recalls the Western Han dynasty, when Emperor Cheng enfeoffed five of his maternal relatives of the Wang clan as marquises, making the family exceptionally powerful at court. The element 七贵 refers to the seven most powerful aristocratic clans of the age, though the specific referents vary among sources. By the Tang dynasty the compound had become a generic stock phrase for the most eminent nobles and court officials, used in poetry as a synecdoche for wealth, power, and rank. The idiom thus condenses these historical allusions into a broad label for the privileged elite.
💡 Example Usage
他出身显赫，家中宾客多为五侯七贵之辈。
He came from a distinguished family, and most of the guests at his house were high-ranking nobles and powerful officials.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 五侯七贵
- Pinyin: wǔ hòu qī guì
- Literal Translation: five, marquis, seven, noble
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4