三顧茅廬

sāngùmáolú

make three calls at the thatched cottage (as Liu Bei did when he sought the aid of Zhuge Liang, a master strategist then living in seclusion)—repeatedly request somebody to take up a responsible post

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san1 gu4 mao2 lu2

lit. three humble visits to a thatched cottage, 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

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三顧茅廬|三顾茅庐 [sān gù máo lú] ► lit. three humble visits to a thatched cottage ► 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