📖 Meaning
True wealth lies in knowing when one has enough and being content with what one possesses. This idiom teaches that the key to a rich life is not endless accumulation, but the wisdom to recognize sufficiency and resist insatiable greed.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Han dynasty scholar Liu Xiang's work 'Shuo Yuan' (说苑), specifically the chapter 'Tan Cong' (谈丛). Liu Xiang compiled this collection of historical anecdotes and moral teachings as a guide for governance and personal conduct. The full passage reads '富在知足，贵在求退,' meaning wealth is found in contentment and nobility is found in knowing when to step back. The saying reflects the Daoist-influenced philosophy that knowing when to stop is the highest form of wisdom.
💡 Example Usage
他虽家财万贯却不贪不争，真正做到了富在知足。
Though immensely wealthy, he is neither greedy nor contentious, truly embodying the principle that wealth lies in contentment.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 富在知足
- Pinyin: fù zài zhī zú
- Literal Translation: wealth, lies in, knowing, contentment
- Category: Wisdom
- Characters: 4