📖 Meaning
To admonish someone in power with frank and earnest words. In ancient China it referred chiefly to ministers openly criticizing or correcting a ruler's faults rather than flattering him. It is a variant of the idiom "直言极谏".
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from the Biography of Dongfang Shuo in the Book of Han, written by the Eastern Han historian Ban Gu. Dongfang Shuo served Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty and was famous for his wit and jesting at court. Yet despite his playful manner, he would watch the emperor's mood and, when the moment was right, speak out bluntly to correct him, and the emperor often valued and adopted his advice. The anecdote shows that humorous courtiers could still offer courageous, honest counsel.
💡 Example Usage
面对皇上的失误，他不顾个人安危，直言切谏。
Confronted with the emperor's mistakes, he disregarded his own safety and remonstrated with blunt, earnest words.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 直言切谏
- Pinyin: zhí yán qiē jiàn
- Literal Translation: straight, words, earnest, remonstrate
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4