📖 Meaning
To honor one's teachers and revere the moral teachings they impart. It embodies the Confucian conviction that respecting educators and the wisdom they transmit is the foundation of a cultivated and virtuous society.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from the Biographies of Confucian Scholars in the Book of Later Han (后汉书), compiled by Fan Ye of the Southern Dynasties (Liu Song). The passage records Emperor Zhang of the Eastern Han visiting the hometown of the Confucian scholar Kong Xi and asking whether the visit brought glory to Kong's clan. Kong Xi humbly replied that enlightened rulers throughout history have always honored their teachers and revered the Way, and that the emperor's personal visit was an act of reverence for the ancient sage Confucius and an enhancement of imperial virtue—not something he dared claim as personal honor.
💡 Example Usage
学校推行尊师贵道的传统教育，培养学生的感恩之心。
The school promotes the traditional value of honoring teachers and revering their teachings to cultivate gratitude in students.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 尊师贵道
- Pinyin: zūn shī guì dào
- Literal Translation: respect, teacher, value, the Way
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4