sāngùmáolú

Traditional: 三顧茅廬

lit. three humble visits to a thatched cottage / cf famous episode in the fictional Romance of Three Kingdoms [[三國演義|三国演义]] in which Liu Bei [[劉備|刘备]] recruits Zhuge Liang [[諸葛亮|诸葛亮]] (the Hidden Dragon [[臥龍|卧龙]]) to his cause by visiting him three times