【Explanation】
"Menqiang" (門牆) refers to the gateway of a teacher; "Taoli" (桃李) metaphorically refers to younger generations or students. This idiom is used to refer to someone else's students.
【Source】
The Analects of Confucius · Chapter Zizhang: "The Master's wall is several ren high. If you cannot find the gate and enter, you cannot see the beauty of the ancestral temple or the richness of the offices within. Few indeed are those who find the gate. Is it not understandable that such words are said of the Master?"
Explanation: Zigong said: "Using a wall as a metaphor, my family's wall is only shoulder-high. Anyone can look over it and see everything inside. But my teacher's wall is several ren high. If you cannot find the gate to enter, you cannot see the magnificent splendor of the ancestral temples or the dazzling beauty of the buildings within. Those who find the gate and enter are few. Is it not understandable that Lord Shusun Wushu would say such things?"
【The Story Behind the Idiom】
During the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius was the foremost scholar of his time. He pioneered private teaching and advocated the virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. He was the founder of the Confucian school of thought. It is said that Confucius had over three thousand disciples. Among them, seventy-two were particularly learned and were honored as the "Seventy-Two Worthies." One of these worthies was Duanmu Ci, a man with the compound surname Duanmu and the style name Zigong. He is considered the founding father of Confucian merchants, originally from the state of Wei (present-day Xun County, Hebi City, Henan Province) at the end of the Spring and Autumn period. Zigong was also one of Confucius's favorite disciples and one of the "Ten Philosophers of Confucius's School." He was renowned among the ten for his eloquence, possessing a sharp tongue, skillful rhetoric, and strong debating skills. He also had practical administrative talents and was capable and efficient in handling affairs. He served as chancellor of the states of Lu and Wei. Additionally, he was skilled in business and was the wealthiest among Confucius's disciples.
Once, a high official of the state of Lu belittled Confucius while praising Zigong in front of others. Upon hearing this, Zigong was furious. He immediately used the analogy of houses, saying: "My teacher's wall is several zhang high; the splendor within is magnificent and cannot be seen by ordinary people. My own wall, however, is only shoulder-high; anyone can see everything at a single glance." He also compared his teacher to the sun and the moon, stating that his teacher's brilliance was unsurpassable by ordinary people.
At that time, Yang Huo was the most powerful minister in Lu. Originally a household retainer of the Ji Sun clan (Ji Pingzi and Ji Huanzi), Yang Huo had no significant background. After internal chaos erupted in Lu, Yang Huo quickly seized military and political power by suppressing the rebellion. Although he temporarily secured his position as Lu's chief minister, he lived in constant fear that the "Three Huan" (referring to the three powerful Lu ministerial families: Meng Sun, Shu Sun, and Ji Sun) would eventually unite to eliminate him, as their power remained formidable. Eventually, conflict arose between them, war broke out, and Yang Huo was defeated. He fled into exile in the state of Qi, but was rejected by Duke Jing of Qi. He then traveled via the state of Song and eventually reached the state of Jin.
In Jin, Yang Huo met Zhao Jianzi (Zhao Yang), who was then serving as the deputy commander of the central army. Zhao Yang took Yang Huo in and appointed him as his second-in-command. One day, while drinking together, Yang Huo reflected on his life in exile and said to Zhao Yang with deep emotion: "Kong Qiu (Confucius) has three thousand disciples, each of whom has become a capable pillar of society. When I was in power in Lu, I had no fewer than five to ten thousand students under me. Yet when I fell into hardship, not only did these students fail to help me, they even plotted against me. The ones I nurtured were not peaches and plums (talented students), but thistles and thorns!"
【Example Sentence】
He has cultivated a large number of outstanding scientific and technological talents for the nation. His students, like peaches and plums flourishing at his gate, have become renowned scholars at home and abroad and pillars of the state.