为五斗米折腰
Traditional: 為五斗米折腰Dictionary entry
(allusion to Tao Qian 陶潛|陶潜[Tao2 Qian2], who used this phrase when he resigned from government service rather than show subservience to a visiting inspector) to bow and scrape for five pecks of rice (that being a part of his salary as a local magistrate)
What does 为五斗米折腰 mean?
为五斗米折腰 (wèi wǔ dǒu mǐ zhé yāo) has the following dictionary meaning.
1(allusion to Tao Qian 陶潛|陶潜[Tao2 Qian2], who used this phrase when he resigned from government service rather than show subservience to a visiting inspector) to bow and scrape for five pecks of rice (that being a part of his salary as a local magistrate)
2(fig.) to compromise one's principles for the sake of a salary
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How to pronounce 为五斗米折腰
为五斗米折腰
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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.