瓜田不納履，李下不整冠

Chinese

		melon; claw; gourd melon; claw; gourd; squash	field; farm	not; no	to accept; to pay (taxes, etc.)	shoe; to tread on		surname; plum	under; next; lower under; next; lower; below; underneath; down(wards); to go down; latter	not; no	exactly; in good order; whole exactly; in good order; whole; complete; entire; in order; orderly	to head; hat; crown to head; hat; crown; crest; cap
trad. (瓜田不納履，李下不整冠)		瓜	田	不	納	履	，	李	下	不	整	冠
simp. (瓜田不纳履，李下不整冠)		瓜	田	不	纳	履	，	李	下	不	整	冠
Literally: “do not put on shoes in a melon patch; do not adjust a hat under a plum tree.”

Etymology

from Cao Zhi's poem Jūnzǐ Xíng (《君子行》, Three Kingdoms period).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): guātián bù nà lǚ, lǐxià bù zhěng guān

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄚ ㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄋㄚˋ ㄌㄩˇ , ㄌㄧˇ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄥˇ ㄍㄨㄢ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: guātián bù nà lǚ, lǐxià bù zhěng guān [Phonetic: guātián bú nà lǚ, lǐxià bù zhěng guān]
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄚ ㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄋㄚˋ ㄌㄩˇ , ㄌㄧˇ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄥˇ ㄍㄨㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: guatián bù nà lyǔ, lǐsià bù jhěng guan
    • Wade–Giles: kua¹-tʻien² pu⁴ na⁴ lü³, li³-hsia⁴ pu⁴ chêng³ kuan¹
    • Yale: gwā-tyán bù nà lyǔ-, lǐ-syà bù jěng gwān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: guatyan bu nah leu, liishiah bu jeeng guan
    • Palladius: гуатянь бу на люй, лися бу чжэн гуань (guatjanʹ bu na ljuj, lisja bu čžɛn guanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku̯ä⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ nä⁵¹ ly²¹⁴⁻³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯än⁵⁵/

Proverb

瓜田不納履，李下不整冠

1. to avoid suspicion, don't put yourself in suspicious situations

Related terms

• 瓜田李下 (guātiánlǐxià)
• 李下瓜田 (lǐxiàguātián)

Descendants

• → Japanese: (calque) 李下(りか)に冠(かんむり)を正(ただ)さず (rika ni kanmuri o tadasazu), 瓜(か)田(でん)に履(くつ)を納(い)れず、李下(りか)に冠(かんむり)を正(ただ)さず (kaden ni kutsu o irezu, rika ni kanmuri o tadasazu)
• → Korean: 과전불납리 (瓜田不納履, gwajeonbullamni), 이하부정관 (李下不整冠, ihabujeonggwan)