📖 Meaning
A collective term referring to all of one's relatives and extended family. The character 诸 means 'all', while 六眷 denotes the various branches and categories of kin. The phrase encompasses the full scope of one's familial network.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from 'The Scholars' (儒林外史), a Qing dynasty satirical novel by Wu Jingzi. In the fifth chapter, the wealthy but miserly character Yan Jian Sheng (严监生) falls gravely ill, and his condition worsens day by day without any sign of recovery. Upon hearing the news, all his relatives and extended family members come to inquire after his health. The phrase has since been used as a general term for all of one's kin.
💡 Example Usage
父亲病重住院的消息传出后，诸亲六眷纷纷赶来探望。
After word spread of his father's serious illness and hospitalization, all his relatives came one after another to visit.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 诸亲六眷
- Pinyin: zhū qīn liù juàn
- Literal Translation: all, relatives, six, family connections
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4