讳莫如深

huì mò rú shēn

  • Meaning

    Literal

    To conceal something very significant
    讳: 隐瞒,避忌
    深:Something very significant

    Usage

    To closely guard a secret

  • Connotation

    Neutral

  • Usage Examples

    他对自己的家庭情况讳莫如深,从不愿提起 | Tā duì zìjǐ de jiātíng qíngkuàng huìmòrúshēn, cóng bù yuàn tíqǐ
    He kept his lips sealed regarding his family's situation. He was never willing to discuss it
    [Source]

    亿万富翁们通常对有关他们身价的确切数字讳莫如深 | Yì wàn fùwēngmen tōngcháng duì yǒuguān tāmen shēnjià de quèqiè shùzì huìmòrúshēn
    Billionaires often fiercely guard knowledge of how much money they are worth
    [Source]

  • Equivalents

    English

    None

    Chinese

    None

  • Entry Notes

    None

  • Origin

    《谷梁传》(Gǔliáng Zhuàn), a commentary on Confucius's famous work《春秋》(chūn qiū | Spring and Autumn Annals). Its eponymous author was 谷梁赤 (Gǔliáng Chì) of the Warring States period (战国时期 | zhàn guó shí qī | 475 - 221 BC)

  • Story

    Under construction

    During the Spring and Autumn period (春秋时期 | chūn qiū shí qī | 770 - 476 BC), there was a duke called 鲁庄公 (Lǔ Zhuāng Gōng). 鲁庄公 had several children with several wives and concubines, and he also had brothers as well.

    鲁庄公's favorite woman was his concubine 孟任 (Mèng Rèn), and it was their son, 般 (Bān), that he wanted to take his power when he passed. However, this was a highly coveted position. Another of 鲁庄公's concubines had borne him a son, 申 (Shēn), and she wanted him to take his throne. On top of that, 鲁庄公's elder brother 庆父 (Qìng Fǔ) wanted the title for himself, and he had gotten support from their younger brother 叔牙 (Shū Yá).

    Eventually, 鲁庄公 fell gravely ill. On his deathbed, he asked 叔牙 who should succeed him. 叔牙 told him 庆父, and 鲁庄公 disliked this immensely. He then asked his younger brother 季友 (Jì Yǒu) the same question, and 季友 told him that he would support 般 to the death.

    When the duke passed away, 季友 started to make good on his word by planning to have 叔牙 poisoned and to have 般 become the next duke. However, in a twist of events, 般 had to go to his grandmother's funeral, and 庆父 seized this opportunity to have 般 killed. 季友 learned of the young man's death and knew immediately that 庆父 had been behind it, and he fled to the kingdom of 陈国 (Chén Guó).

    With 般 out of the way, 庆父's path to the throne was more clear, but he didn't think it was time for him to move just yet. Instead, he needed to install a different duke. He considered having 申 assume the position, but he was still a child and hard to control, and his mother was his wife's younger sister. In the end, he put 启 (Qǐ), son of 鲁庄公's second wife, on the throne.

    Less than two years later, 庆父 had 启 killed, and he finally became duke himself. However, by this point, people realized that he'd killed two monarchs and began to protest that he was too cruel to be their next leader. In the country of 陈国, the hiding 季友 heard of this dilemma and encouraged the people of 鲁国 (Lǔ Guó) to kill 庆父. A terrified 庆父 fled, and 季友 returned to install 申 on the throne. Later, 庆父 had no choice but to commit suicide

  • Citations and Helpful Resources

    • 汉语成语小词典 (hànyǔ chéngyǔ xiǎo cídiǎn)
    • 现代汉语规范词典 (xiàndài hànyǔ guīfàn cídiǎn)
    • 多功能成语词典 (duō gōngnéng chéngyǔ cídiǎn)
    • 汉语大词典 (hànyǔ dà cídiǎn)
    • ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary
    • Pleco Basic Chinese-English Dictionary
    • 百度百科[x]
    • 汉语大词典[x]
    • 语文米[x]