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Withdrawing Three Marches

In exile, the Jin prince Chong’er came to Chu, and the King of Chu gave a feast for him. The king asked how he would repay him. Chong’er answered that if he ever returned to rule Jin and their armies met on the central plain, “I will withdraw three marches before you.” (Zuo Zhuan)

In 632 BCE, now Duke Wen of Jin, he faced the Chu army and withdrew three marches, about ninety li. His adviser Zi Fan explained: “Without Chu’s kindness we would not be here. We withdraw three marches to avoid them, and that is our repayment.” Then the armies met at Chengpu. The story gave Chinese the idiom 退避三舍, to withdraw three marches.

Selling a Favor

人情 Human feeling. Also a favor, or a gift. 做个人情, to do someone a favor.

卖人情 To sell a favor. To do someone a good turn on purpose, so that they feel grateful. A dictionary gives the example: “If you sell him a favor today, he will surely repay you in the future.”

人情世故 Human feeling and the ways of the world. The knowledge of how to deal with people.

Gift Money

At a Chinese wedding, guests give gift money, a custom called 随份子. A commentary published in Chinese media in September 2026 described its logic. Gift money “has taken on a kind of contractual character.” A guest gives now so as to receive “an equal return gift from the other side” at their own wedding in the future. “From this angle, it is even like an interest-free loan.”

The same piece reported that the city of Shangluo in Shaanxi had issued reference limits on gift money: no more than 100 yuan in the countryside and 200 yuan in the city.

Our Own People

自己人 Our own people, those close to us.

胳膊肘往外拐 The elbow bends outward. Said of someone who helps outsiders against their own people.

肥水不流外人田 Rich water does not flow into an outsider’s field. Keep the good things within the family.

Killing the Familiar

In 2018, Chinese media reported on dashuju shashu (大数据杀熟), “big-data killing of the familiar.” Some defined it as internet companies using their customer data to show existing customers higher prices than new customers for the same product or service.

The name expresses the expectation that a familiar customer deserves better treatment.