📖 Meaning
To be attached to one's native land and reluctant to change old customs and traditions. It describes people who prefer to remain in their homeland and maintain established ways of life rather than seeking change or relocation.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from the 'Book of the Later Han' (《后汉书·南蛮传》), a historical text compiled by Fan Ye of the Southern Dynasties. In describing the southern tribal peoples, the author notes that they appear simple on the outside but are shrewd within, and that they are content with their land and attached to old customs. The commentator Gan Bao of the Jin dynasty later quoted this phrase in his 'In Search of the Supernatural' (《搜神记》), reinforcing its usage as a description of peoples who resist change and cherish their ancestral ways.
💡 Example Usage
这些村民安土重旧，世代不愿离开故土。
These villagers are attached to their homeland and old customs, unwilling to leave for generations.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 安土重旧
- Pinyin: ān tǔ zhòng jiù
- Literal Translation: content with land, value the old
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4