長幼尊卑

Chinese

the young and the old rich and poor; mighty and meek; old and young
trad. (長幼尊卑) 長幼 尊卑
simp. (长幼尊卑) 长幼 尊卑
variant forms 尊卑長幼尊卑长幼

Etymology

From the Book of Rites:

好惡而已然後聖人作為然後所以所以所以所以後世尊卑長幼 [Classical Chinese, trad.][▼ expand/hide]
好恶而已然后圣人作为然后所以所以所以所以后世尊卑长幼 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: The Book of Rites, circa 4th – 2nd century BCE
Wèi rén jūnzhě jǐn qí suǒ hǎowù éryǐ yǐ. Jūn hǎo zhī, zé chén wèi zhī. Shàng xíng zhī, zé mín cóng zhī. Shī yún yòu mín kǒng yì, cǐ zhī wèi yě. Ránhòu, shèngrén zuòwèi 鞉, gǔ, 椌, 楬, 塤, chí, cǐ liùzhě dé yīn zhī yīn yě. Ránhòu zhōng qìng yú sè yǐ hé zhī, gān qī máo dí yǐ wǔ zhī, cǐ suǒyǐ jì xiān wáng zhī miào yě, suǒyǐ xiàn chóu yìn zuò yě, suǒyǐ guān xù guì jiàn gè dé qí yí yě, suǒyǐ shì hòushì yǒu zūnbēichángyòu zhī xù yě. [Pinyin]
'A ruler has only to be careful of what he likes and dislikes. What the ruler likes, his ministers will practise; and what superiors do, their inferiors follow. This is the sentiment in the Book of Poetry (III, ii, ode 10, 6), "To lead the people is very easy." Seeing this, and after (the repose of the people was secured), the sages made hand-drums and drums, the stopper and the starter, the earthen whistle and the bamboo flute - the six instruments which produced the sounds of their virtuous airs. After these came the bell, the sounding-stone, the organ with thirty-six pipes, and the large lute, to be played in harmony with them; the shields, axes, ox-tails, and plumes, brandished by the pantomimes in time and tune. These they employed at the sacrifices in the temple of the former kings, at festivals in offering and receiving the pledge cup; in arranging the services of officers (in the temple) according to the rank due to each, as noble or mean, and in showing to future ages how they observed the order due to rank and to age.

Pronunciation


Idiom

長幼尊卑

  1. old and young, high and low; senior and junior; seniority rules
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.