📖 Meaning
A wren builds its nest in the forest using only a single branch. The idiom is a metaphor for being content with what one truly needs and not being greedy for more. It praises a simple, frugal life aligned with one's station.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom comes from the 'Xiaoyao You' (Free and Easy Wandering) chapter of the Zhuangzi, a foundational Daoist text of the Warring States period attributed to Zhuang Zhou. There Zhuangzi writes that the wren (jiaoliao) builds its nest in the deep forest yet occupies no more than a single branch, illustrating that one need only take what suffices. The Song dynasty official Li Hang later quoted the phrase in his biography in the Song Shi to express his contentment with a modest dwelling. The story conveys a Daoist ideal of knowing limits and living simply.
💡 Example Usage
他一生清贫自守，巢林一枝，从不贪求多余之物。
He lived his life in frugal contentment, needing only one branch for his nest, and never coveted anything superfluous.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 巢林一枝
- Pinyin: cháo lín yī zhī
- Literal Translation: nest, forest, one, branch
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4