Basic Info
- Chinese Idiom: 奔走相告 (Bēn zǒu xiāng gào)
- Pinyin: bēn zǒu xiāng gào
- Literal meaning: “To run about and tell one another.”
(奔走 = to run around / rush about; 相告 = to tell each other / inform one another)
Figurative Definition
It means to spread news quickly by running from person to person and telling everyone – usually because the news is important, exciting, or eagerly awaited. It describes a scene of animated, joyful communication: people hurrying to share a piece of good news, and the message spreading rapidly through a community.
It is most often used for good news – a victory, a happy announcement, a long-awaited result, or a cause for celebration. It can also be used for urgent news in general, but the tone is usually positive and excited, not grim.
In short: to run around telling everyone the good news.
Cultural & Historical Origin
This idiom is often traced to the Guoyu · Lu Yu (《国语·鲁语》 – “Discourses of the States: Discourses of Lu”), where the phrase “告奔走也” appears in a passage about attendants and messengers relaying messages by running. In early Chinese court and community life, important news was carried on foot, from person to person – so “running to tell” was the natural image of how news traveled.
Over time, “奔走相告” became a fixed idiom for news spreading quickly through excited word of mouth. It reflects a world before mass media: when something important happened, people literally ran to tell their neighbors, and the news moved across a town or village in a wave of voices.
It is worth distinguishing it from “奔走呼号” (bēn zǒu hū háo):
- 奔走相告 = running to share news with one another, usually good news.
- 奔走呼号(Bēn zǒu hū háo) = running about crying out for help in distress.
Key Lesson
Good news is meant to be shared – and it travels fastest through people who care. The idiom captures the human joy of spreading good tidings: when something wonderful happens, we cannot keep it to ourselves. It also reminds us that communication builds community – news shared in person, with excitement and urgency, creates a sense of collective happiness. But it carries a quiet modern warning too: before you run to tell everyone, make sure the news is true – because not everything that spreads quickly is reliable.
Cultural Note
In modern Chinese, “奔走相告” is a positive, lively, and often celebratory idiom. It appears in:
- Good news announcements – “消息传来，大家奔走相告。” (“When the news came, everyone ran to tell one another.”)
- Historical and patriotic writing – describing the joy of victory or liberation.
- Everyday speech – when something exciting happens and people eagerly share it.
- News and social media descriptions – “这一喜讯让人们奔走相告。” (“The good news sent people running to share it with each other.”)
Its opposite is “置若罔闻” (zhì ruò wǎng wén – “to turn a deaf ear to / ignore completely”), which describes refusing to listen or respond – the exact opposite of eagerly spreading news.
Similar English Expressions
- To spread the news – The most direct and natural equivalent.
- To spread like wildfire – For news traveling very fast.
- To run around telling everyone – A vivid, informal equivalent.
- To pass the word around – To tell one person after another.
- To shout it from the rooftops – To share good news publicly and joyfully.
- Word spread quickly – A simple descriptive phrase.
- To broadcast the news – More formal, but captures the spreading.
- To tell everyone who will listen – Informal and vivid.
The closest and most natural equivalents are “to spread the news,” “to spread like wildfire,” and “to run around telling everyone.”
In short, “奔走相告” means running about and telling one another – a lively, positive Chinese idiom for good news spreading quickly through excited word of mouth, and a reminder that the best news is the kind we cannot wait to share.
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