周公吐哺 zhōugōng tǔbǔ Zhou Gong Tu Bu

Explanation

周公吐哺指的是西周初年，周公旦为了辅佐成王治理国家，礼贤下士，以至“一饭三吐哺，起以待士”，意思是说，他每次吃饭，三次都因为迎接贤士而放下饭碗。形容礼贤下士，急于求才。

Zhou Gong Tu Bu refers to the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Zhou Gong Dan, in order to assist King Cheng in governing the country, treated talented people with great respect and eagerness, to the extent that he would "interrupt his meal three times to greet talented people". This idiom describes the eagerness to find and employ talented people.

Origin Story

周公旦，名姬旦，是周文王姬昌的第四个儿子，武王的弟弟。武王去世后，其子成王年幼，周公旦摄政辅佐成王，他勤政爱民，励精图治，为了巩固周朝统治，他礼贤下士，广纳贤才，有一次，周公吃饭时，三次放下饭碗，起身去迎接贤士。后来人们用“周公吐哺”来形容统治者礼贤下士、爱惜人才的典故。相传周公旦曾经对自己的儿子伯禽说：‘我是文王之子，武王之弟，成王的叔父，我的地位已经很高了，但是我每天洗一次澡就要梳理三次头发，每次吃饭都要三次放下饭碗，起来迎接贤士，即使这样，我还害怕会失去天下贤才呢！’。这段话足以说明周公旦为国家选拔人才的迫切心情。

zhōugōngdàn, míngjīdàn, shì zhōuwénwáng jīchāng de dì sì ge érzi, wǔwáng de dìdì. wǔwáng qùshì hòu, qí zǐ chéngwáng niányòu, zhōugōngdàn shèzhèng fǔzuò chéngwáng, tā qínzhèng àimín, lìjīng túzhì, wèile gǔgù zhōucháo tǒngzhì, tā lǐxián xiàshì, guǎngnà xiáncái, yǒuyīcì, zhōugōng chīfàn shí, sān cì fàng xià fàn wǎn, qǐshēn qù yíngjiē xiánshì. hòulái rénmen yòng “zhōugōng tǔbǔ” lái xíngróng tǒngzhì zhě lǐxián xiàshì, àixī réncái de diǎngù. xiāngchuán zhōugōngdàn céngjīng duì zìjǐ de érzi bóqín shuō: ‘wǒ shì wénwáng zhī zǐ, wǔwáng zhī dì, chéngwáng de shūfù, wǒ de dìwèi yǐjīng hěn gāo le, dànshì wǒ měitiān xǐ yīcì zǎo jiù yào shūlǐ sān cì tóufa, měicì chīfàn jiù yào sān cì fàng xià fàn wǎn, qǐlái yíngjiē xiánshì, jíshǐ zhèyàng, wǒ hái hàipà huì shīqù tiānxià xiáncái ne!’ zhè duàn huà zúyǐ shuōmíng zhōugōngdàn wèi guójiā xuǎnbá réncái de pòqiè xīnqíng.

Zhou Gong Dan, whose personal name was Ji Dan, was the fourth son of King Wen (Ji Chang) and the younger brother of King Wu. After King Wu's death, his son King Cheng was still young, so Zhou Gong Dan took over the regency and assisted King Cheng. He was a diligent and benevolent ruler, and he worked hard to govern the country well. In order to consolidate the rule of the Zhou Dynasty, he treated talented people with great respect and recruited many capable individuals. Once, while eating, Zhou Gong put down his chopsticks three times to welcome talented scholars. Later, people used "Zhou Gong Tu Bu" to describe the ruler's respect and appreciation for talented people. It is said that Zhou Gong Dan once said to his son, Bo Qin: “I am the son of King Wen, the brother of King Wu, and the uncle of King Cheng. My position is already very high, but I wash once a day and comb my hair three times, and every time I eat, I put down my chopsticks three times to get up and greet talented people, even so, I am still afraid of losing the talented people in the world!” These words sufficiently illustrate Zhou Gong Dan's urgent desire to select talents for the country.

Usage

用于赞扬领导者礼贤下士，广纳贤才。

yòng yú zànyáng lǐngdǎozhě lǐxián xiàshì, guǎngnà xiáncái

Used to praise leaders who respect and recruit talented people.

Examples

• 他为了国家大事，真是周公吐哺，广纳贤才。

  tā wèile guójiā dàshì, zhēnshi zhōugōng tǔbǔ, guǎngnà xiáncái

  He really recruited talents with great diligence, just like Zhougong’s story goes.

• 他虚怀若谷，周公吐哺，广罗人才。

  tā xūhuái ruògǔ, zhōugōng tǔbǔ, guǎngluó réncái

  He is modest and unassuming, and he has recruited a large number of talents, like the old saying Zhougong Tu Bu goes.

Related Idioms

• 礼贤下士

• 爱才如命

Opposite Idioms

• 疏远人才

• 轻视人才