📖 Meaning
To sit and await death without taking any action. It describes someone who refuses to actively seek solutions and passively waits for ruin or failure. The idiom criticizes a defeatist attitude of inaction in the face of danger.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from a letter by the Ming dynasty philosopher Li Zhi (李贽) in his work Fen Shu (焚书, 'Book to Be Burned'), specifically in the piece 'Reply to Deng Dingshi' (复邓鼎石). Li Zhi lamented that people of his time lacked talent and strategy, and even those who possessed ability feared harm to themselves, avoiding responsibility at every turn. As a result, they let problems fester through inaction, choosing to sit idly and await destruction rather than confront difficulties.
💡 Example Usage
敌军已兵临城下，我们绝不能安坐待毙，必须主动出击。
With the enemy army at the gates, we must not sit and await death — we must take the initiative and strike.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 安坐待毙
- Pinyin: ān zuò dài bì
- Literal Translation: sit, peacefully, await, death
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4