📖 Meaning
A classical term for ordinary farmers and elderly villagers living in the countryside. It evokes rustic simplicity and the common rural folk who are far removed from officialdom or urban sophistication.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom first appears in the Ming dynasty scholar Jiao Hong's work 'Yu Tang Cong Yu' (《玉堂丛语》), in the chapter on virtuous conduct. It recounts how Zhou Chen (周忱), a governor patrolling the Jiangnan region, would personally walk into the countryside to speak with local farmers and rural elders, asking about their hardships. This image of a high official humbly consulting the lowliest villagers gave the phrase its enduring literary resonance.
💡 Example Usage
他虽身居高位，却常与村夫野老促膝交谈，体察民情。
Though he held a high position, he often sat down to chat with village farmers and rural elders to understand the people's hardships.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 村夫野老
- Pinyin: cūn fū yě lǎo
- Literal Translation: village, man, field, elder
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4