Offering free Chinese study resources is our priority. This series showcases idioms and proverbs, widely applicable phrases. Today’s idiom is 「高鳳自穢」, explained here.
For this session, we will be discussing the idiom 「高鳳自穢」. See below for its meaning and practical usage.
Gao Feng of the Eastern Han Dynasty, whose courtesy name was Wentong, was determined not to take up an official post. The prefect summoned him repeatedly, but he was afraid that he could not be exempted, so he said that he came from a family of witches and should not be an official. He also falsely sued his widowed sister-in-law for land, and thus refused to take up the post. Later it was used as an example of self-accusation.
The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :
gāo fèng zì huì
while its Cantonese pinyin is :
gou1 fung6 ji6 wai3
Chinese idioms come in large numbers, with diverse meanings and usages, offering endless learning opportunities. We hope these resources make it easier for you to study Chinese.
