光宗耀祖 (guāng zōng yào zǔ) — to bring honor to one's ancestors; to be a credit to one's family line
Definition
A chengyu meaning to bring glory and honor to one's ancestors through one's own achievements. It reflects the traditional Confucian value of filial success — that personal accomplishment reflects on the whole family line.
idiom
to bring honor to one's ancestorsto be a credit to one's family line
Examples
- ，光宗耀祖。Tā tōng guò zì jǐ de nǔ lì kǎo shàng le míng pái dà xué, zǒng suàn guāng zōng yào zǔ le.Through his own hard work he got into a prestigious university, finally bringing honor to his ancestors.
- ，光宗耀祖。Zài gǔ dài, dú shū rén kǎo qǔ gōng míng jiù shì wèi le guāng zōng yào zǔ.In ancient times, scholars studied for official titles precisely to bring glory to their ancestors.
- ，光宗耀祖。Cūn lǐ chū le yí gè dà qǐ yè jiā, dà jiā dōu shuō tā guāng zōng yào zǔ le.A big entrepreneur came from the village, and everyone said he had honored his ancestors.
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