CHENGYU
三顾茅庐(sān gù máo lú)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary, approving
- Source:
- 三国蜀·诸葛亮《出师表》
MEANING
- Literal
- three visits to the thatched cottage
- Figurative meaning
- to sincerely and repeatedly invite a talented person to help
ORIGIN STORY
Liu Bei, later ruler of Shu, traveled three times to the thatched cottage of the young genius Zhuge Liang before the recluse agreed to leave his retreat and serve him. The story became the classic model of seeking out true talent.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to roll out the red carpet for someone”
EXAMPLES
为了请这位专家，他们三顾茅庐。Wèi le qǐng zhè wèi zhuānjiā, tāmen sān gù máo lú.HSK6
To invite this expert, they made three visits to his cottage.
校长三顾茅庐，终于请来了那位老师。Xiàozhǎng sān gù máo lú, zhōngyú qǐng lái le nà wèi lǎoshī.HSK6
The principal visited again and again and finally won over that teacher.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It describes sincere invitations, not simply visiting three times.
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