三顾茅庐 sān gù máo lú

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. three humble visits to a thatched cottage
  2. cf famous episode in the fictional Romance of Three Kingdoms 三國演義|三国演义 in which Liu Bei 劉備|刘备 recruits Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮|诸葛亮 (the Hidden Dragon 臥龍|卧龙) to his cause by visiting him three times

CHARACTERS

三 sān
HSK 1
three
顾 gù
HSK 3
look back; look at; look after
茅 máo reeds, rushes, grass; surname
庐 lú hut, cottage; name of a mountain