dressing in motley and clowning to amuse his parents

dressing in motley and clowning to amuse his parents

It is a Chinese idiom, Pinyin is C ǎ iy ī y ú Q ī n, which means there is a legend that there was an old laizi in the spring and Autumn period, who was very filial and dressed as a child in colorful clothes when he was 70 years old, which made his parents laugh. Later as filial piety parents allusion. It comes from the biography of Lienv by Liu Xiang of Han Dynasty.

Idioms and allusions

original text

Chuxueji quoted the biography of filial son as saying that Laolaizi was filial to his parents. At the age of 70, he wore colorful clothes to make his chicks on his side. It can also be seen in the biography of lienvzhuan quoted in volume 20 of Yiwenleiju: Laolaizi was filial to his two parents. He was seventy years old and entertained himself. He wore colorful clothes, tasted the oars and went to the hall. He fell down because he was lying on the ground for children's hoofs or playing with blackbirds.

translation

In the spring and Autumn period, Lao laizi, a hermit in the state of Chu, was very filial to his parents and tried every means to please them so that they could live a long and healthy life. When he was 70 years old, his parents were still alive. In order not to let his parents feel sad when they saw that he had white hair, he made a set of colorful clothes to wear on his body. He walked like a child dancing, which made his parents happy and filial. "Colorful clothes" is also known as "laizi Banyi".

Idiom usage

Subject predicate; as object and attribute; with commendatory meaning. The filial piety of Laolaizi is to amuse his relatives by playing games. ——Cheng dengji in Ming Dynasty

Analysis of Idioms

Lao Lai entertains his relatives

The origin of Idioms

Liu Xiang of Han Dynasty wrote in the biography of Lienv: "Lao laizi was filial to his two parents. He was seventy years old. He entertained himself with his baby. He wore colorful clothes, tasted the pulp and went to the court. He fell down because he was lying on the ground for children's hooves, or beautiful birds on his parents' side."