五体投地 wǔ tǐ tóu dì Five body parts on the ground

Explanation

五体投地，指的是两手、两膝和头一起着地，是佛教徒对佛祖表示最崇高的敬意的一种礼节。后来也用来形容对某人或某事佩服到了极点。

Five body parts on the ground means that you are lying on the ground with both hands, both knees and your head. It is a sign of the deepest respect Buddhists show their Buddha. Later, it was also used to express that one admires someone or something deeply.

Origin Story

传说，佛陀在世的时候，有一位国王名叫阿育王，他是一个虔诚的佛教徒，为了表达他对佛陀的敬意，他每天都到佛塔前，行五体投地大礼。一次，他率领大臣去拜访佛陀，佛陀问他：“国王，你为什么每天都来这里行五体投地大礼呢？”阿育王说：“佛陀，我对你充满了敬意，你的智慧和慈悲，让我深深地敬佩。”佛陀笑了笑说：“国王，敬意是应该的，但重要的是你要真正地去理解我的教诲，并将它应用到你的生活中。”阿育王听了佛陀的话，更加虔诚地学习佛法，最终成为了一位德高望重的国王。

chuán shuō, fó tuó zài shì de shí hòu, yǒu yī wèi guó wáng míng jiào ā yù wáng, tā shì yī gè qián chéng de fó jiào tú, wèi le biǎo dá tā duì fó tuó de jìng yì, tā měi tiān dōu dào fó tǎ qián, xíng wǔ tǐ tóu dì dà lǐ. yī cì, tā shuài lǐng dà chén qù bài fǎng fó tuó, fó tuó wèn tā:“guó wáng, nǐ wèi shén me měi tiān dōu lái zhè lǐ xíng wǔ tǐ tóu dì dà lǐ ne?” ā yù wáng shuō:“fó tuó, wǒ duì nǐ chōng mǎn le jìng yì, nǐ de zhì huì hé cí bēi, ràng wǒ shēn shēn de jìng pèi.

It is said that during the time of Buddha, there was a king named Ashoka, who was a devout Buddhist. To express his respect for Buddha, he went to the stupa every day and performed the five body parts on the ground ritual. Once, he led his ministers to visit Buddha, and Buddha asked him: “King, why do you come here every day and perform the five body parts on the ground ritual?” Ashoka said: “Buddha, I am full of respect for you, your wisdom and compassion deeply impress me.” Buddha smiled and said: “King, respect is due, but what matters is that you truly understand my teachings and apply them to your life.” After listening to Buddha's words, Ashoka studied Buddhism with even greater piety, and eventually became a wise and respected king.

Usage

“五体投地” 这个成语通常用来表达对某人或某事十分敬佩，表示非常服气。例如，我们可以说：“我对他精湛的技艺五体投地。” 也可以说：“听了他的演讲，我对他五体投地。”

wǔ tǐ tóu dì

The idiom “Five body parts on the ground” is usually used to express deep admiration for someone or something, indicating that you are absolutely convinced. For example, you can say:

Examples

• 他讲课妙趣横生，让我五体投地。

  tā jiǎng kè miào qù héng shēng, ràng wǒ wǔ tǐ tóu dì.

  His lecture was so interesting that I was completely in awe.

• 对老师的教诲，我们应该五体投地表示感谢。

  duì lǎo shī de jiào huì, wǒ men yīng gāi wǔ tǐ tóu dì biǎo shì gǎn xiè.

  We should be grateful to the teacher for his teachings and show our deepest respect.

• 我听了他的演说，五体投地，佩服得五体投地

  wǒ tīng le tā de yǎn shuō, wǔ tǐ tóu dì, pèi fú de wǔ tǐ tóu dì

  I am very grateful for his speech, I am very impressed

Related Idioms

• 敬佩

• 钦佩

• 崇拜

Opposite Idioms

• 嗤之以鼻

• 不屑一顾