大人先生 dà rén xiān sheng gentlemen

Explanation

旧时指有身份有地位的人。有时带讽刺意味，多用于对那些仗势欺人或作威作福之人的称呼。

It formerly referred to people with status and position. Sometimes with ironic meaning, it is often used to refer to those who bully others or act arbitrarily.

Origin Story

话说清朝末年，有一位落魄的秀才，因家道中落，不得不四处奔波谋生。一日，他来到一个富庶的城镇，想碰碰运气，看看能否找到一份教书育人的差事。来到镇上最大的书院，他鼓起勇气，准备拜见书院院长。书院门前，几个仆人打扮的人正站在那里，一个个神情傲慢，趾高气扬。秀才上前拱手施礼，谦恭地自报家门，说明来意。没想到，那些仆人却轻蔑地将他打发走，说院长哪有时间见他这种穷酸秀才。秀才无奈，只好黯然离去。 这件事让秀才很受打击，同时也让他看清了当时社会上存在的等级森严和人情冷暖。那些自诩为"大人先生"的权贵们，往往只顾自己荣华富贵，对普通百姓的疾苦却视而不见。秀才暗下决心，一定要通过自身的努力，改变这种不公平的社会现状，让更多的人能够得到公平的对待。

huà shuō qīng cháo mò nián, yǒu yī wèi luò pò de xiù cái, yīn jiā dào zhōng luò, bù dé bù sì chù bēn bō móu shēng. yī rì, tā lái dào yīgè fù shù de chéng zhèn, xiǎng pèng pèng yùn qì, kàn kàn néng fǒu zhǎo dào yī fèn jiào shū yù rén de chā shi. lái dào zhèn shàng zuì dà de shū yuàn, tā gǔ qǐ yǒng qì, zhǔn bèi bài jiàn shū yuàn yuàn cháng. shū yuàn mén qián, jǐ gè pū rén dǎ bàn de rén zhèng zài zhǎn lì, yīgè gè shén qíng ào màn, zhǐ gāo qì yáng. xiù cái shàng qián gōng shǒu shī lǐ, qiān gōng dì zì bào jiā mén, shuō míng lái yì. méi xiǎng dào, nàxiē pū rén què qīng miè de jiāng tā dǎ fā zǒu, shuō yuàn cháng nǎ yǒu shí jiān jiàn tā zhè zhǒng qióng suān xiù cái. xiù cái wú nài, zhǐ hǎo àn rán lí qù. zhè jiàn shì ràng xiù cái hěn shòu dǎ jī, tóng shí yě ràng tā kàn qīng le dāng shí shè huì shàng cún zài de děng jí sēn yán hé rén qíng lěng nuǎn. nàxiē zì xǔ wéi "dà rén xiān shēng" de quán guì men, wǎng wǎng zhǐ gù zì jǐ róng huá fù guì, duì pǔ tōng bǎi xìng de jí kǔ què shì'ér bù jiàn. xiù cái àn xià jué xīn, yīdìng yào tōng guò zì shēn de nǔ lì, gǎi biàn zhè zhǒng bù gōng píng de shè huì xiàn zhuàng, ràng gèng duō de rén néng gòu dé dào gōng píng de duì dài.

It is said that at the end of the Qing Dynasty, there was a down-and-out scholar who, due to the decline of his family, had to work hard to make a living. One day, he came to a wealthy town, hoping to try his luck and see if he could find a job teaching. Arriving at the largest academy in town, he summoned up his courage to visit the academy's director. In front of the academy's gate, several servants stood there, each with an arrogant and haughty expression. The scholar stepped forward, bowed, and politely introduced himself, explaining his purpose. Unexpectedly, the servants dismissively sent him away, saying that the director had no time to see a poor scholar like him. The scholar, with no choice, sadly left. This incident dealt a heavy blow to the scholar, but it also made him aware of the strict hierarchy and indifference in society at that time. Those who called themselves "gentlemen" often only cared about their own wealth and glory, while ignoring the suffering of ordinary people. The scholar secretly resolved to change this unfair social situation through his own efforts, so that more people could receive fair treatment.

Usage

用于指那些有地位的人，有时带有讽刺的意味。

yòng yú zhǐ nàxiē yǒu dìwèi de rén, yǒushí dài yǒu fěngcì de yìwèi

Used to refer to those with status, sometimes with ironic implication.

Examples

• 那些大人先生们，一个个趾高气扬，不可一世。

  nàxiē dà rén xiānshēng men, yīgè gè zhǐgāo qìyáng, bù kě yīshì

  Those gentlemen were arrogant and invincible.

• 别跟那些大人先生们一般见识，他们只会欺软怕硬。

  bié gēn nàxiē dà rén xiānshēng men yībān jiànshi, tāmen zhǐ huì qī ruǎn pà yìng

  Don't bother with those gentlemen, they only bully the weak and fear the strong

Related Idioms

• 达官贵人

• 权贵

Opposite Idioms

• 平民百姓

• 黎民百姓