📖 Meaning
The idiom refers to the three kinds of spare time one should seize for reading: winter (the spare season of the year), nighttime (the spare hours of the day), and rainy days (the spare moments of fair weather). It teaches that a diligent person should make use of every idle moment to study and read.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from the biography of Dong Yu in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (《三国志·魏志·董遇传》). When a student complained that he had no time to study, Dong Yu, a renowned scholar of the Cao Wei state, advised him to use the 'three spare times.' Puzzled, the student asked what these were. Dong Yu explained: winter is the spare time of the year, night is the spare time of the day, and rainy days are the spare time of fair weather. His point was that one should never claim to lack time for learning.
💡 Example Usage
他谨记读书三余的古训，连午休的半小时也用来啃专业书。
He faithfully follows the ancient maxim of 'reading in the three spare times,' even using his half-hour lunch break to study professional books.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 读书三余
- Pinyin: dú shū sān yú
- Literal Translation: read, books, three, spare times
- Category: Learning
- Characters: 4