Chinese Idiom: 以貌取人 (Yi Mao Qu Ren)
English Translation: Judge a Person Based on Their Appearance
pīn yīn: yǐ mào qǔ rén
Idiom Meaning: This idiom refers to making judgments about someone’s character or capabilities solely based on their outward appearance, rather than their true qualities or actions.
Historical Source: Records of the Grand Historian (《史记·仲尼弟子列传》)
Idiom Story
Confucius had a disciple named Zai Yu, who was articulate and skilled in conversation. Initially, Zai Yu made a good impression on Confucius, but as time went on, his true nature became apparent: he lacked virtue and was extremely lazy, spending his days sleeping rather than studying or listening to lectures. Consequently, Confucius criticized him, saying he was “rotten wood that cannot be carved.”
Another disciple, Zi Yu, was from the state of Lu and was thirty-nine years younger than Confucius. Zi Yu’s appearance and demeanor were quite unattractive, and Confucius initially judged him to be of low talent. However, Zi Yu devoted himself to self-improvement and adhered to ethical conduct, avoiding corruption and public appearances for personal gain. Later, Zi Yu traveled to the Yangtze River, where he was accompanied by three hundred followers and gained high praise and recognition from various feudal states.
Reflecting on these experiences, Confucius remarked, “My judgments based on speech led me to misjudge Zai Yu, and my judgments based on appearance led me to misjudge Zi Yu.”
This story illustrates the folly of evaluating someone’s worth based solely on their appearance or superficial traits, emphasizing the importance of assessing a person’s true character and abilities.
