Chinese Idiom: 飞黄腾达 (Fei Huang Teng Da)
English Translation: Rapid promotion and success
pīn yīn: fēi huáng téng dá
Idiom Meaning: This idiom is often used in a pejorative sense to describe someone whose social or professional status rises very quickly. It implies that the person’s rise to power or success might be undeserved or achieved through questionable means.
Historical Source: Poem “Fu Reads Books South of the City” (符读书城南) by Han Yu of the Tang Dynasty.
Idiom Story
Han Yu, born into poverty and hardship, was a diligent self-learner who eventually became a scholar well-versed in the Six Classics and numerous other schools of thought. He was not only a politician and literary figure but also an educator who greatly valued the importance of learning. In his essay “On the Teacher” (师说), Han Yu eloquently argued that people are not born with knowledge. The difference between sages and the ignorant lies in their willingness to learn from others. He suggested that anyone, regardless of their status or age, could be a teacher if they had something worth learning. He also famously stated that “students do not necessarily have to be inferior to their teachers, and teachers do not necessarily have to be superior to their students.”
To emphasize the significance of learning, Han Yu wrote a long poem titled “Fu Reads Books South of the City” (符读书城南) for his son, Han Fu. A notable passage from this poem reads:
两家各生子，孩提巧相如； 少长聚嬉戏，不殊同队鱼。
年至十二三，头角稍相疏； 二十渐乖张，清沟映污渠。 三十骨骼成，乃一龙一猪； 飞黄腾踏去，不能顾蟾蜍。
This passage describes the contrasting fates of two boys from different families. In their early years, they seem very similar, both lively and lovable. As they grow older, around twelve or thirteen, differences begin to emerge. By the time they are in their twenties, the contrast is stark: one is like a clear water channel, while the other resembles a dirty ditch. By thirty, their true characters are fully developed, one possessing the talents of a dragon, the other as foolish as a pig. One charges ahead like the mythical steed Fei Huang, while the other is left far behind like a toad. The moral is that one’s success is due to diligence and the willingness to learn, while failure results from laziness.
From this story, the phrase “飞黄腾踏去” (fēi huáng téng tà qù) was derived and later simplified to “飞黄腾达” (fēi huáng téng dá), which refers to someone rapidly rising to a high position, often with a negative connotation.
