CHENGYU
毛遂自荐(máo suì zì jiàn)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary
- Source:
- 《史记·平原君列传》
MEANING
- Literal
- Mao Sui recommends himself
- Figurative meaning
- to volunteer oneself for a task
ORIGIN STORY
When the state of Zhao needed an envoy to persuade Chu to send troops, the retainer Mao Sui asked to go with the delegation, though no one thought him special. In Chu he stepped forward at the decisive moment and argued the case so well that Chu agreed at once.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to step up and volunteer”
EXAMPLES
没人推荐他，他就毛遂自荐了。Méi rén tuījiàn tā, tā jiù máo suì zì jiàn le.HSK6
Nobody recommended him, so he volunteered himself.
班长人选还没定，他毛遂自荐想试试。Bānzhǎng rénxuǎn hái méi dìng, tā máo suì zì jiàn xiǎng shìshi.HSK6
The class monitor was not decided yet, so he put himself forward.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Note the reading: 遂 is suì here, not suí.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
毛máosurname Mao
遂suì(in the name Mao Sui)
自zìoneself
荐jiànto recommend
Tap a character to explore it
TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01