弃明投暗 qì míng tóu àn Abandon light, embrace darkness

Explanation

比喻放弃光明正大的道路而转向黑暗错误的道路。

To abandon the bright and correct path and turn to the dark and wrong path.

Origin Story

话说晋朝时期，有个叫王猛的人，年轻时很穷困，但他胸怀大志，渴望建功立业。他听说东晋名臣谢安很有才干，就千里迢迢地去投奔他。谢安觉得王猛很有能力，就让他做自己的幕僚。可是，当时很多人都看不起王猛，甚至经常嘲笑他。王猛并没有气馁，反而更加努力地工作，以实际行动证明自己的能力。他深知要实现自己的理想，就要不断地学习，不断地提升自己，不能因为别人的嘲笑而放弃自己的理想，更不能选择一条错误的道路。他时刻提醒自己，要坚持正确的方向，永不放弃光明。终于，王猛凭借自己的努力，在朝堂上占据一席之地，为国家做出了很大的贡献。他的人生经历，就是一个很好的反面教材，告诉我们：不要因为一时的挫折而灰心丧气，不要因为别人的歧视而选择错误的道路。要始终坚持自己的理想，永不放弃光明，最终才能走向成功。

huà shuō jìn cháo shí qī, yǒu gè jiào wáng měng de rén, nián qīng shí hěn qióng kùn, dàn tā xiōng huái dà zhì, kě wàng jiàn gōng lì yè. tā tīng shuō dōng jìn míng chén xiè ān hěn yǒu cái gàn, jiù qiānlǐ tiáo tiáo de qù tóu bēn tā. xiè ān jué de wáng měng hěn yǒu néng lì, jiù ràng tā zuò zìjǐ de mù liáo. kěshì, dāngshí hěn duō rén dōu kàn bù qǐ wáng měng, shènzhì jīng cháng cháoxiào tā. wáng měng bìng méi yǒu qì nǎi, fǎn'ér gèng jiā nǔ lì de gōngzuò, yǐ shíjì xíngdòng zhèngmíng zìjǐ de néng lì. tā shēn zhī yào shíxiàn zìjǐ de lǐxiǎng, jiù yào bù duàn de xuéxí, bù duàn de tíshēng zìjǐ, bù néng yīnwèi biérén de cháoxiào ér fàng qì zìjǐ de lǐxiǎng, gèng bù néng xuǎnzé yī tiáo cuòwù de dàolù. tā shíkè tíxǐng zìjǐ, yào jiānchí zhèngquè de fāngxiàng, yǒng bù fàng qì guāngmíng. zhōngyú, wáng měng píngjì zìjǐ de nǔlì, zài cháo táng shàng zhànjù yī xí zhī dì, wèi guójiā zuò chū le hěn dà de gòngxiàn. tā de rénshēng jīnglì, jiùshì yīgè hěn hǎo de fǎn miàn jiàocái, gàosù wǒmen: bù yào yīnwèi yī shí de cuòzhé ér huīxīn sàngqì, bù yào yīnwèi biérén de qíshì ér xuǎnzé cuòwù de dàolù. yào shǐ zhōng jiānchí zìjǐ de lǐxiǎng, yǒng bù fàng qì guāngmíng, zuì zhōng cái néng zǒuxiàng chénggōng.

During the Jin Dynasty, there was a man named Wang Meng who was very poor in his youth, but he had great ambitions and yearned to achieve success. He heard that Xie An, a famous minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, was very talented, so he traveled far and wide to seek his patronage. Xie An found Wang Meng very capable and made him his advisor. However, many people looked down on Wang Meng, even often mocking him. Wang Meng did not become discouraged, but worked even harder, proving his ability through his actions. He knew that in order to achieve his ideals, he had to constantly learn and improve himself. He must not give up his ideals because of the ridicule of others, and he should never choose the wrong path. He constantly reminded himself to stay on the right path and never give up on the light. Eventually, through his own efforts, Wang Meng gained a position at court and made great contributions to his country. His life experience is a very good negative example, telling us that we must not lose heart because of temporary setbacks or choose the wrong path because of the discrimination of others. We must always adhere to our ideals, never abandon the light, and only then can we achieve success.

Usage

常用作谓语、宾语；多用于指人的行为选择。

cháng yòng zuò wèiyǔ, bīnyǔ; duō yòng yú zhǐ rén de xíngwéi xuǎnzé

Often used as predicate or object; mostly used for referring to a person's behavior choices.

Examples

• 他为了所谓的爱情，不惜弃明投暗，最终后悔莫及。

  tā wèile suǒ wèi de àiqíng, bù xī qì míng tóu àn, zuì zhōng hòu huǐ mò jí

  He sacrificed everything for the so-called love and switched sides, only to deeply regret it later.

• 面对正义与邪恶的选择，他毅然决然地弃暗投明。

  miàn duì zhèngyì yǔ xié'è de xuǎnzé, tā yì rán jué rán de qì àn tóu míng

  In the face of justice and evil, he resolutely chose the right side.

Related Idioms

• 背道而驰

• 同流合污

Opposite Idioms

• 弃暗投明