📖 Meaning
A metaphor for being incorruptible, upright, and possessing noble integrity. It describes a person of such high moral character that they would rather endure hardship than accept ill-gotten gains or compromise their principles.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from Huangfu Mi's 'Accounts of High-Minded Men' (《高士传》) during the Jin Dynasty. The story tells of a man who wore a fur coat in the scorching heat of the fifth lunar month while carrying firewood on his back. When someone pointed out gold on the road and asked why he did not pick it up, the man replied that he was no common gold-seeker — he was a man of principle who would never take what did not belong to him. The image of wearing a heavy fur coat in summer heat became a symbol of his unwavering integrity.
💡 Example Usage
他一生五月披裘，从不取不义之财。
All his life he wore a fur coat in May, so to speak — never once accepting ill-gotten wealth.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 五月披裘
- Pinyin: wǔ yuè pī qiú
- Literal Translation: May, wear, fur, coat
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4