📖 Meaning
A drawn-out affair that drags on for an extended period of time; equivalent to 旷日持久. It describes a situation or process that is prolonged far longer than necessary. The term carries a connotation of tedious, wasteful delay.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from 'Shang Jun Shu' (The Book of Lord Shang), specifically the chapter 'Jun Chen' (Lord and Minister), written during the Warring States period by Shang Yang (商鞅), the famous Legalist statesman of the Qin state. In the original passage, Shang Yang criticizes a corrupt system of reward where those who glare and clench their fists to boast of bravery are rewarded, those who sit elegantly and talk are rewarded, and those who slowly accumulate private influence over a long period of time are also rewarded. The term '迟日旷久' here describes the gradual, drawn-out accumulation of illicit power in private hands, which Shang Yang saw as a threat to a well-governed state.
💡 Example Usage
此工程迟日旷久，至今仍未完工。
This project has dragged on for a long time and remains unfinished to this day.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 迟日旷久
- Pinyin: chí rì kuàng jiǔ
- Literal Translation: delayed, day, wide, long
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4