君子远庖厨 jūn zǐ yuàn páo chú

a good man avoids seeing animals killed

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. fig. a nobleman who has seen a living animal cannot bear to see it die, hence he keeps away from the kitchen
  2. 2. lit. a nobleman stays clear of the kitchen (idiom, from Mencius)

Characters

Character Meaning
lord; ruler; monarch
(noun suffix); son; child
far; distant; remote
kitchen
kitchen; old variant of chú