📖 Meaning
To lead the elderly by the hand and support the weak. It describes a scene of communal care and compassion, especially during migration, evacuation, or times of hardship. The idiom conveys social solidarity and moral responsibility toward the vulnerable.
📜 Origin Story
No single classical source is recorded for this idiom; it is a compound of two common acts of kindness—leading the elderly and supporting the weak. It is also written as 携老扶幼 or 携老挈幼. The phrase reflects traditional Chinese values of filial piety and social harmony. It appears in various texts describing mass movements of people, communal gatherings, or disaster relief.
💡 Example Usage
洪水退去后，村民们携老扶弱返回家园重建生活。
After the floodwaters receded, the villagers returned home to rebuild their lives, leading the elderly and supporting the weak.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 携老扶弱
- Pinyin: xié lǎo fú ruò
- Literal Translation: lead the old, support the weak
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4