# 男儿膝下有黄金



## MattWalsh

大家好！

有人能告诉我以上的成语是什么意思？

谢谢！


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## 铭铭s

Literally，it means a man could not go down his keens.Because in traditional chinese culture,a man could only go down his keens only to very few people like parents and emperor.In a larger sense,it means a man should not easily yield to others or other power.
If there are some mistakes in this sentence,pleace point them out,thanks


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## Lucia_zwl

“膝下”指下跪
“黄金”是很珍贵的东西，在这里指尊严
“男儿膝下有黄金”表面上是说男人不能随便下跪，因为跪礼在古代中国是最高礼仪；实际指的是不屈服，要有尊严。

男儿: male, esp. young man
膝: the knee; 膝下: here, to kneel
黄金: the gold (very valubale things, here, self-respect, the dignity)
So literally this idiom means that man shouldn't kneel down, since to kneel down is the utmost courtesy in ancient China. Acctually, it refers to a sense of dignity and never surrender.


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## Lamb67

Nothing other than gold could be found under a man's knees


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## Boyar

这句古语吗？
为什么说男儿膝下有黄金？


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## philchinamusical

Boyar said:


> 这句古语吗？
> 为什么说男儿膝下有黄金？



这句是古*话*。
这句话的意思，请看#2和#3的回复。
And I personally don't think it's proper to reply to threads that have ended discussing years ago. @Lamb67


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## Lamb67

It took me a second look to realize that the previous ones don't sound right.

I would be very happy to learn why I am wrong please.


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## philchinamusical

Lamb67 said:


> It took me a second look to realize that I feel  the previous ones don't sound right.
> 
> I would be very happy to learn why I am wrong pleaee.



Then I'd suggest you took another 300 seconds to think about this: Which part of the original Chinese phrase gives you the idea of "*Nothing other than*" LITERALLY? Because apparently you were translating it LITERALLY. Thus, it has to be "男儿膝下*只*有黄金" to match your translation, correct?

However, what I was saying has nothing to do with your translation, but the way you digging up old threads.


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## Lamb67

Please show rules.
It's complex and sometimes even controversial so it s always worthy o f reex aming


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## Oswinw011

philchinamusical said:


> Then I'd suggest you took another 300 seconds to think about this: Which part of the original Chinese phrase gives you the idea of "*Nothing other than*" LITERALLY? Because apparently you were translating it LITERALLY. Thus, it has to be "男儿膝下*只*有黄金" to match your translation, correct?
> 
> However, what I was saying has nothing to do with your translation, but the way you digging up old threads.


Chill out, dude. It's okay to dig up a necropost, given that views on an idiom may vary as time goes by. No need to blow your top.


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## philchinamusical

Lamb67 said:


> Please show rules.
> It's very complex and sometimes even controversy so it s always worthy o f reexAming


Did you see the word "personally"? 

Well, at least I know I was perhaps wasting my time with someone who doesn't read the others. That's something.


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## Boyar

谢谢三位的回复！请你们站在普通当代人的角度来看待这个古话。



> 原标题：司机酒驾被查下跪求饶  民警：男儿膝下有黄金
> 日前，马鞍山市和县一名酒后驾驶人，在执法现场得知酒后检测结果后，突然向交警下跪求饶，令围观群众啼笑皆非。
> ...
> “男儿膝下有黄金，赶紧起来吧，知错就改就行了，我们相信你。你今天的行为不会坐牢的，但是要接受经济处罚。” 民警教育和开导后...
> 
> 司机酒驾被查下跪求饶 民警：男儿膝下有黄金--社会--人民网



警察为什么这么说吗？
这句话在这里是什么意思呢？


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## Lamb67

The driver must have been someone who is ignorant of laws. That's why his XIA GUI is laughable.

A child might do it but an adult won't.

You may learn the expression by pairing it with Kowtou.😁


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## hx1997

Yes, when you commit DWI (and get caught), you admit it and take what punishment the law has to offer. You don't get down on your knees!


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## Oswinw011

As a matter of fact, I know how to shed light on the figurative meaning of the idiom, just like "a man's dignity is as valuable as gold; don't get down on knees because that's abasing himself", but I have no idea how this idiom evolved into such. With all the information I can glean on the Chinese Internet, none of them refers to how the original "there is gold under a man's knees" developed the meaning of "not to kneel down easily". What does "the gold under knees" have to do with "don't kneel down"? It sounds rather uncanny to me, but here's a guess: when the author who coined this idiom spoke such an expression, he/she meant there's gold under the knees, and if the man kneels down, the gold hung on his knees (a metaphorical stuff referring to dignity) falls down as he grovels. So does his dignity.

Back to the news, the traffic cop just said, as other members have answered, "don't get down on knees" in a cultured way because it's an idiom.


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## Boyar

谢谢详细点，Oswinw011。
这句话的《男儿膝下有黄金》表达了什么感情？
同情？
嘲笑？
别的？


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## Oswinw011

表达了什么感情：劝诫。
用于的场景：有男人（本成语带有性别色彩）想要下跪的时候，你可以用这句话回复——男儿膝下有黄金，不要轻易下跪。
If you believe in God, you could take it this way: donot kneel down to anyone other than God, because God is the only one who deserves your kneeling down.


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## Skatinginbc

宋·釋普濟《五燈會元》大丈夫膝下有黃金，怎肯拜無眼長老?
明·凌蒙初《初刻拍案驚奇》男兒膝下有黃金，如何拜人?
明·董說《西遊補》常言道男兒兩膝有黃金, 你今後不可亂跪！
京劇《桑園會》男兒膝下有黃金，豈肯低頭跪婦人?


MattWalsh said:


> 能告诉我以上的成语是什么意思？


*男子漢* (大丈夫、男兒; 有骨氣的男子, a man of character, a man with a backbone) *的膝蓋底下* (underneath the kneecaps, containing soft tissues such as 膝腱 patellar tendons and 脂墊 fat pads) *裝有黃金般貴重的尊嚴*  (因而不可隨便屈膝 on bended knee)。
直譯: There is (dignity as precious as) gold underneath the kneecaps of a man of character.

膝下: 膝蓋底下 (underneath the kneecaps)
黃金: 是一種柔軟 (soft) 而有韌性 (malleable) 的金屬, 像膝腱般能屈能伸, 但因太貴重, 人們通常會珍惜保護而不輕易讓其屈折變形 (too precious to bend).


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## garbage_cnbeta

Boyar said:


> 这句古语吗？
> 为什么说男儿膝下有黄金？


男儿膝下有黄金
出处：
明·凌蒙初《初刻拍案惊奇》卷二十一：“林上舍道：‘男儿膝下有黄金，如何拜人？’” 
明朝 凌蒙初 的三言二拍是非常有名的古典小说，现代人也能读懂。

“男儿膝下有黄金，岂肯低头跪妇人”，这句话出自京剧《桑园会》唱词……这句话现在常用在影视剧中，女的要求男的下跪道歉时，男的以这句话反击。


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