conceal one's brilliance; drift with the current
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to conceal one's light and blend with the dust; to adopt an unassuming attitude and avoid worldly conflict
literaryThis idiom originates from Chapter 4 of the Daoist classic 《老子》 (Laozi). It originally advocated a Daoist wisdom of humility and non-contention. In modern usage, it can sometimes carry a slightly negative connotation, implying passive acceptance or drifting with the crowd.
Tā他
xuǎn选
zé择
zài在
guān官
chǎng场
zhōng中
cǎi采
qǔ取
hé和
guāng光
tóng同
chén尘
de的
cè策
lüè略
，
yǐ以
bì避
miǎn免
chéng成
wéi为
zhòng众
shǐ矢
zhī之
dì的
。
He chose to adopt a low-profile strategy in officialdom to avoid becoming a target.
Yé爷
ye爷
cháng常
gào告
jiè诫
wǒ我
，
yǒu有
shí时
hòu候
hé和
guāng光
tóng同
chén尘
yě也
shì是
yī一
zhǒng种
shēng生
cún存
de的
zhì智
huì慧
。
Grandpa often admonished me that sometimes concealing one's light is also a kind of wisdom for survival.
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Zài在
zhè这
ge个
tuán团
duì队
lǐ里
，
tā他
yī一
zhí直
shì是
hé和
guāng光
tóng同
chén尘
，
cóng从
bù不
kè刻
yì意
biǎo表
xiàn现
zì自
jǐ己
。
In this team, he has always kept a low profile and never deliberately showed himself off.