📖 Meaning
To follow customary practices and aim for simplicity in doing things. It describes adopting a straightforward, conventional approach rather than insisting on elaborate or formal methods.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Song dynasty work 'Qingbo Biezhi' (清波别志) by Zhou Hui. In it, Zhou observed that scholars of his time, even when writing a brief note of just ten or twenty characters, would consult reference books to copy brushstrokes, following common and simplified practices. The expression captures the tendency to go along with popular conventions and keep things simple rather than pursuing refinement or rigor.
💡 Example Usage
创业初期资金紧张，他只好从俗就简，在出租房里办公。
With tight funding in the early days of his startup, he had to keep things simple and work out of a rented apartment.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 从俗就简
- Pinyin: cóng sú jiù jiǎ
- Literal Translation: follow, common custom, tend toward, simple
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4