People & Bonds
結草報恩
결초보은
jié cǎo bào ēn
Gyeol-cho-bo-eun
結
맺을 결
草
풀 초
報
갚을 보
恩
은혜 은
Character by character
Meaning
Tie the grass to repay a kindness — gratitude that outlasts death.
Origin
From the Zuo Commentary: the spirit of a man who had been shown mercy knotted grass to trip an enemy’s horse and save his benefactor.
How it is used
Said when vowing to repay a great favour.
Hanja結草報恩
Simplified结草报恩
Korean reading결초보은
Pinyinjié cǎo bào ēn
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does Gyeol-cho-bo-eun mean?
結草報恩 · Tie the grass to repay a kindness — gratitude that outlasts death.
Q. Where does Gyeol-cho-bo-eun come from?
From the Zuo Commentary: the spirit of a man who had been shown mercy knotted grass to trip an enemy’s horse and save his benefactor.
Q. How is Gyeol-cho-bo-eun used?
Said when vowing to repay a great favour.
Idioms in the same group
管鮑之交 Gwan-po-ji-gyoThe friendship of Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya — friends who truly know each other.竹馬故友 Juk-ma-go-uAn old friend from bamboo-horse days — someone you grew up with.百年偕老 Baeng-nyeon-hae-roGrowing old together for a hundred years.同苦同樂 Dong-go-dong-nakSharing the hardship and the joy alike.人之常情 In-ji-sang-jeongThe ordinary feeling any human being would have.類類相從 Yu-yu-sang-jongLike follows like — similar people gather together.
The idioms used in Korea mix phrases from the Chinese classics with ones coined in Korea. Where an expression is not used in China, the entry says so.