CHENGYU
程门立雪(chéng mén lì xuě)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary, approving
- Source:
- 《宋史·杨时传》
MEANING
- Literal
- to stand in the snow at the Cheng brothers' gate
- Figurative meaning
- to wait respectfully for one's teacher
ORIGIN STORY
Yang Shi and You Zuo came to ask the philosopher Cheng Yi a question and found him dozing. They waited silently at the door until he woke — by then the snow outside was a foot deep.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to wait patiently on one's master”
EXAMPLES
为了求教，他在老师门口等了两个小时，真是程门立雪。Wèi le qiújiào, tā zài lǎoshī ménkǒu děng le liǎng ge xiǎoshí, zhēn shì chéng mén lì xuě.HSK6
He waited two hours at his teacher's door for guidance — standing in the snow indeed.
我们要学习古人程门立雪的尊师精神。Wǒmen yào xuéxí gǔrén chéng mén lì xuě de zūnshī jīngshén.HSK6
We should learn the ancients' respect for teachers, waiting patiently in the snow.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It praises patient respect toward a teacher, not waiting for just anyone.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
Tap a character to explore it
TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01