sān三threegù顾visitmáo茅thatchedlú庐hut
Three visits to the thatched hut — going to great lengths to recruit talent.
Literal meaning
three (三) — visit (顾) — thatched (茅) — hut (庐)
Origin
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (《三国演义》). Liu Bei (刘备) visited the strategist Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮) three times at his hut in the mountains before Zhuge Liang agreed to serve him. The story has been the gold standard for humble, persistent recruitment of talent ever since.
Examples
Gōng公sī司sān三gù顾máo茅lú庐qǐng请zhè这wèi位zhuān专jiā家jiā加rù入。
The company went to great lengths to recruit this expert.
Tā他sān三gù顾máo茅lú庐cái才qǐng请dào到lǎo老shī师fu傅。
He had to make repeated humble visits before the old master agreed to teach him.
Usage & nuances
Praise of patient recruitment. Common in business and HR commentary.
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