📖 Meaning
An ancient Chinese imperial rite of honoring the elderly: when retired senior officials were invited to dine at court, attendants were specially assigned to pray that they would not choke on their food or drink. The idiom symbolizes the Confucian virtue of respecting and caring for the aged, especially by those in power.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the rites of the ancient Zhou Dynasty court, codified in texts such as the 'Book of Rites' (《礼记》). In those times, emperors demonstrated benevolent rule by personally hosting banquets for elderly retired ministers—a practice known as '养老之礼' (the rite of caring for the aged). Because the elderly were prone to choking, the emperor would appoint attendants to pray aloud that they be spared from such mishaps. This gesture was both practical and symbolic, reinforcing the Confucian ideal that a ruler should treat the aged with filial reverence. The variant '祝哽祝噎' (zhù gěng zhù yē) is more commonly seen in classical texts.
💡 Example Usage
古代帝王行祝鲠祝饐之礼，以示敬老之心。
Ancient emperors performed the rite of praying against choking to demonstrate their reverence for the elderly.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 祝鲠祝饐
- Pinyin: zhù gěng zhù yì
- Literal Translation: pray not choke, pray not choke on food
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4