jǔ举raiseàn案trayqí齐level withméi眉eyebrow
Raising the food tray to eyebrow level — exemplary marital respect.
Literal meaning
raise (举) — tray (案) — level with (齐) — eyebrow (眉)
Origin
Book of Later Han. The wife Meng Guang, when serving food to her husband Liang Hong, would raise the tray as high as her eyebrows — a posture of deepest respect. The phrase has stood for ideal mutual respect in marriage ever since, often paired with 相敬如宾.
Examples
Tā他men们fū夫qī妻jǔ举àn案qí齐méi眉。
The couple shows perfect mutual respect.
Jǔ举àn案qí齐méi眉de的jiā家tíng庭hěn很shǎo少jiàn见。
Households with this kind of mutual respect are rare.
Usage & nuances
Literary, archaic. More likely in writing about traditional values than in casual speech.
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