恭敬不如从命 gōng jìng bù rú cóng mìng Respect is inferior to obedience

Explanation

指客套话。多用在对方对自己客气，虽不敢当，但不好违命。

It is a polite phrase. It is often used when the other party is polite to oneself, although one does not deserve it, but it is not good to disobey.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有一个饱读诗书的秀才，名叫李元吉。一日，他进京赶考，路过一个偏僻的小村庄。天色已晚，李元吉便敲开了一户农家的大门，想借宿一晚。农家夫妇十分热情好客，不仅为他准备了丰盛的晚餐，还让出了自己温暖的床铺。李元吉十分感激，连声说道：“恭敬不如从命，感谢老夫妇的盛情款待！” 第二天清晨，李元吉告别了农家夫妇，继续赶路，他心里暗暗下定决心，以后一定要好好学习，为国家做贡献，以报答农家夫妇的恩情。

huà shuō táng cháo shí qī, yǒu yīgè bǎo dú shī shū de xiù cái, míng jiào lǐ yuán jí. yī rì, tā jìn jīng gǎn kǎo, lù guò yīgè piān pì de xiǎo cūn zhuāng. tiān sè yǐ wǎn, lǐ yuán jí biàn qiāo kāi le yī hù nóng jiā de dà mén, xiǎng jiè sù yī wǎn. nóng jiā fū fū shí fēn rè qíng hào kè, bù jǐn wèi tā zhǔn bèi le fēng shèng de wǎn cān, hái ràng chū le zì jǐ wēn nuǎn de chuáng pù. lǐ yuán jí shí fēn gǎnjī, lián shēng shuō dào: "gōng jìng bù rú cóng mìng, gǎn xiè lǎo fū fū de shèng qíng kuǎn dài!" dì èr tiān qīng chén, lǐ yuán jí gàobié le nóng jiā fū fū, jìxù gǎn lù, tā xīn lǐ àn àn xià dìng jué xīn, yǐ hòu yī dìng yào hǎo hǎo xué xí, wèi guó jiā zuò gòng xiàn, yǐ bào dá nóng jiā fū fū de ēn qíng.

In the Tang Dynasty, there was a scholar named Li Yuanji who was well-read. One day, he went to the capital to take the imperial examinations, and passed through a remote village. It was getting late, so Li Yuanji knocked on the door of a farmer's house and asked to spend the night. The farmer and his wife were very hospitable, not only preparing a sumptuous dinner for him, but also giving up their warm bed. Li Yuanji was very grateful, saying repeatedly, "Gōngjìng bùrú cóngmìng, thank you for your hospitality!" The next morning, Li Yuanji bid farewell to the farmer and his wife and continued on his journey. He secretly made up his mind to study hard in the future, contribute to the country, and repay the kindness of the farmer and his wife.

Usage

常用作客套话，表示接受对方的邀请或请求。

cháng yòng zuò kètào huà, biǎoshì jiēshòu duìfāng de yāoqǐng huò qǐngqiú.

Often used as a polite phrase to accept someone's invitation or request.

Examples

• 老人家盛情邀请，恭敬不如从命吧！

  lǎorénjiā shèngqíng yāoqǐng, gōngjìng bùrú cóngmìng ba!

  I couldn't refuse the old man's kind invitation.

• 既然领导都这么说了，恭敬不如从命

  jìrán lǐngdǎo dōu zhème shuō le, gōngjìng bùrú cóngmìng

  Since the boss said so, I'll simply obey.

Related Idioms

• 谦虚

• 礼貌

Opposite Idioms

• 违抗

• 拒绝