📖 Meaning
To drift with the currents of society, rising and falling as circumstances change. It describes adapting oneself to prevailing customs and trends rather than resisting them. The phrase carries a tone of worldly resignation or pragmatic flexibility.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a letter titled 'Bào Rèn Shàoqīng Shū' (Letter to Ren Shaoqing), written by the Han dynasty historian Sima Qian after he had suffered the humiliating punishment of castration. In the letter, he explains why he chose to live on in disgrace rather than take his own life, stating that he would 'follow the ways of the world, floating or sinking with the times' so that he might complete his great historical work, the 'Records of the Grand Historian' (Shiji). The line expresses both his submission to circumstance and his hidden resolve.
💡 Example Usage
他性情恬淡，仕途上从俗浮沉，从不强求功名。
With a placid temperament, he drifted along with the ups and downs of officialdom, never forcing his way toward fame.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 从俗浮沉
- Pinyin: cóng sú fú chén
- Literal Translation: follow, custom, float, sink
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4