三教九流 sān jiào jiǔ liú all walks of life

Explanation

旧指宗教或学术上的各种流派。也指社会上各行各业的人。

Formerly referred to various schools of religion or learning. It also refers to people from all walks of life in society.

Origin Story

传说在唐朝末年，有个叫李玄的年轻书生，从小天资聪颖，博览群书，而且非常爱交朋友，朋友遍布三教九流。有一天，李玄去拜访一位住在城郊的隐士，途中遇到一个名叫张三的乞丐，张三衣衫褴褛，满脸污垢，看起来十分可怜。李玄心地善良，就拿出了一些食物和钱财给张三。张三接过李玄的东西，非常感激，就告诉李玄自己曾经是长安城的一名富商，后来因为生意失败，家道中落，沦落到街头乞讨的地步。李玄听了张三的遭遇，非常同情，就邀请张三去自己家住。张三答应了，并向李玄承诺，将来一定会报答他的恩情。后来，张三的亲戚偶然间发现了张三，并帮助他重新做起了生意，张三也果然不负李玄的期望，生意越做越大，很快便富甲一方。张三发达后，并没有忘记李玄的恩情，专门带着礼物去拜访李玄，并告诉李玄自己现在已经发了财，希望李玄能够帮助他一起赚钱。李玄听了张三的话，笑着说：“我从小就读圣贤书，只知道修身养性，对经商之道一窍不通，你还是另请高明吧。”张三听后，非常失望，便离开了李玄的家。后来，李玄的学问越来越高，名声也越来越大，很多达官贵人慕名而来拜访他，李玄也因此过上了衣食无忧的生活。但李玄始终没有忘记张三，每当想起张三曾经的帮助，心里就充满了感激之情。后来，李玄听说张三又因为投资失败，再次破产，便再次找到张三，并帮助他东山再起。张三再次发达后，对李玄更是感激涕零，从此两人成了生死之交，彼此互相帮助，共同进步。

chuán shuō zài táng cháo mò nián, yǒu gè jiào lǐ xuán de nián qīng shū shēng, cóng xiǎo tiān zī cōng yǐng, bó lǎn qún shū, ér qiě fēi cháng ài jiāo péng you, péng you biàn bù sān jiào jiǔ liú. yǒu yī tiān, lǐ xuán qù bài fǎng yī wèi zhù zài chéng jiāo de yǐn shì, tú zhōng yù dào yī gè jiào zhāng sān de qǐ gài, zhāng sān yī shān lán lǚ, miǎn liǎn wū gòu, kàn qǐ lái fēi cháng kě lián. lǐ xuán xīn dì shàn liáng, jiù ná chū le yī xiē shí wù hé qián cái gěi zhāng sān. zhāng sān jiē guò lǐ xuán de dōng xi, fēi cháng gǎn jì, jiù gào sù lǐ xuán zì jǐ céng jīng shì cháng ān chéng de yī míng fù shāng, hòu lái yīn wèi shēng yì shī bài, jiā dào zhōng luò, lún luò dào jiē tóu qǐ tǎo de dì bù. lǐ xuán tīng le zhāng sān de zāo yù, fēi cháng tóng qíng, jiù yāo qǐng zhāng sān qù zì jǐ jiā zhù. zhāng sān dā yìng le, bìng xiàng lǐ xuán chéng nuò, jiāng lái yī dìng huì bào dá tā de ēn qíng. hòu lái, zhāng sān de qīn qī ǒu rán jiān fā xiàn le zhāng sān, bìng bāng zhù tā chóng xīn zuò qǐ le shēng yì, zhāng sān yě guǒ rán bù fù lǐ xuán de qī wàng, shēng yì yuè zuò yuè dà, hěn kuài biàn fù jiǎ yī fāng. zhāng sān fā dá hòu, méi yǒu wàng jì lǐ xuán de ēn qíng, zhuān mén dài zhe lì wù qù bài fǎng lǐ xuán, bìng gào sù lǐ xuán zì jǐ xiàn zài yǐ jīng fā le cái, xī wàng lǐ xuán néng gòu bāng zhù tā yī qǐ zhuàn qián. lǐ xuán tīng le zhāng sān de huà, xiào zhe shuō:

Legend has it that in the late Tang Dynasty, there was a young scholar named Li Xuan who was naturally gifted, read widely, and loved to make friends. He had friends from all walks of life. One day, Li Xuan went to visit a hermit who lived in the suburbs. On the way, he met a beggar named Zhang San. Zhang San was dressed in rags, his face was dirty, and he looked very pitiful. Li Xuan was kind-hearted and gave Zhang San some food and money. Zhang San took Li Xuan's things and was very grateful. He told Li Xuan that he had once been a wealthy merchant in Chang'an City, but later, due to business failures, his family went bankrupt and he ended up begging on the streets. Li Xuan was very sympathetic to Zhang San's plight and invited him to stay at his house. Zhang San agreed and promised Li Xuan that he would repay his kindness in the future. Later, Zhang San's relatives accidentally discovered him and helped him get back into business. Zhang San, true to his word to Li Xuan, became more and more successful in business, and soon became extremely wealthy. After Zhang San became successful, he did not forget Li Xuan's kindness and specially brought gifts to visit Li Xuan. He told Li Xuan that he had made a fortune and hoped that Li Xuan could help him make money together. Li Xuan listened to Zhang San's words and said with a smile, “I have been reading the books of sages since I was a child, and I only know how to cultivate my character. I don't understand anything about business. You should find another expert.” Zhang San was very disappointed and left Li Xuan's home. Later, Li Xuan's knowledge grew more and more, and his reputation grew greater and greater. Many officials came to visit him out of admiration, and Li Xuan therefore lived a carefree life. But Li Xuan never forgot Zhang San. Whenever he thought of Zhang San's previous help, he was filled with gratitude. Later, Li Xuan heard that Zhang San had again gone bankrupt due to investment failures. He found Zhang San again and helped him get back on his feet. After Zhang San became successful again, he was even more grateful and moved by Li Xuan. From then on, they became lifelong friends, helping each other and making progress together.

Usage

这个成语可以用来形容社会上各种各样的人，或者用来表示对社会上各种各样的人的了解。

zhè ge chéng yǔ kě yǐ yòng lái xíng róng shè huì shàng gè zhòng gè yàng de rén, huò zhě yòng lái biǎo shì duì shè huì shàng gè zhòng gè yàng de rén de liǎo jiě.

This idiom can be used to describe the various kinds of people in society or to express that one knows the various kinds of people in society.

Examples

• 街头的三教九流都来这里逛逛。

  jiē tóu de sān jiào jiǔ liú dōu lái zhè li shàng guàng.

  All sorts of people come here to stroll around.

• 他认识三教九流的人，消息很灵通。

  tā rèn shí sān jiào jiǔ liú de rén, xiāo xi wèn líng tōng.

  He knows people from all walks of life, he is well-informed.

Related Idioms

• 三姑六婆

• 五行八作

Opposite Idioms

• 正人君子