📖 Meaning
The enduring influence and cultural legacy left by people of the past. It refers to the customs, teachings, and refined spirit that continue to inspire later generations long after their originators are gone.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from the Song dynasty Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi's work 'Zhuzi Quanshu' (Complete Works of Master Zhu), specifically in the section on governance. Zhu Xi used it to describe how virtuous gentlemen of antiquity not only achieved great deeds in their own time—honoring their rulers and protecting the people—but also left behind a lasting moral and cultural influence that later generations still admired and reflected upon.
💡 Example Usage
漫步于古城街巷，仍能感受到先贤的遗风余韵。
Strolling through the ancient city streets, one can still sense the enduring legacy of the former sages.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 遗风余韵
- Pinyin: yí fēng yú yùn
- Literal Translation: left-behind wind, lingering charm
- Category: Wisdom
- Characters: 4