禮崩樂壞
Chinese
| gift; propriety; rite | collapse; fall into ruins | music; happy; laugh music; happy; laugh; cheerful |
bad; evil; rotten bad; evil; rotten; spoiled | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (禮崩樂壞) | 禮 | 崩 | 樂 | 壞 | |
| simp. (礼崩乐坏) | 礼 | 崩 | 乐 | 坏 | |
Etymology
From the Analects, Book 17 (《論語·陽貨》):
- 宰我問：「三年之喪，期已久矣。君子三年不為禮，禮必壞；三年不為樂，樂必崩。…… [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
- From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Zǎi Wǒ wèn: “Sān nián zhī sāng, qī yǐ jiǔ yǐ. Jūnzǐ sān nián bù wéi lǐ, lǐ bì huài; sān nián bù wéi yuè, yuè bì bēng....... [Pinyin]
- Zai Wo asked about the three years' mourning for parents, saying that one year was long enough. "If the superior man abstains for three years from the observances of propriety, those observances will be quite lost. If for three years he abstains from music, music will be ruined. …
宰我问：「三年之丧，期已久矣。君子三年不为礼，礼必坏；三年不为乐，乐必崩。…… [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin: lǐbēngyuèhuài
- Zhuyin: ㄌㄧˇ ㄅㄥ ㄩㄝˋ ㄏㄨㄞˋ
- Tongyong Pinyin: lǐbengyuèhuài
- Wade–Giles: li3-pêng1-yüeh4-huai4
- Yale: lǐ-bēng-ywè-hwài
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: liibengyuehhuay
- Palladius: либэнъюэхуай (libɛnʺjuexuaj)
- Sinological IPA (key): /li²¹⁴⁻²¹ pɤŋ⁵⁵ ɥɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ xu̯aɪ̯⁵¹/
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: lai5 bang1 ngok6 waai6
- Yale: láih bāng ngohk waaih
- Cantonese Pinyin: lai5 bang1 ngok9 waai6
- Guangdong Romanization: lei5 beng1 ngog6 wai6
- Sinological IPA (key): /lɐi̯¹³ pɐŋ⁵⁵ ŋɔːk̚² waːi̯²²/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
Idiom
禮崩樂壞
- (literally) feudal system collapses and rites and music deteriorate
- (figuratively) social order collapses and morals deteriorate