📖 Meaning
To seek temporary peace in a small corner. It describes a ruler or government that avoids resisting foreign invasion and instead settles for security in a small territory. The term criticizes a cowardly complacency that ignores the larger threat.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Qing dynasty novel *Shuo Yue Quan Zhuan* (The Complete Story of Yue Fei) by Qian Cai, Chapter 59. In the story, officials remonstrate that treacherous ministers control the court and advocate for peace negotiations, while the emperor listens to their words and seeks temporary safety in a corner with no will to wage war. The phrase critiques the Southern Song court's refusal to resist the Jin invasion, settling for survival in the south rather than fighting to reclaim lost territory.
💡 Example Usage
南宋朝廷不思北伐，偏安江南，不过是苟安一隅罢了。
The Southern Song court, refusing to launch a northern campaign and content to remain south of the Yangtze, was merely seeking temporary peace in a corner.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 苟安一隅
- Pinyin: gǒu ān yī yú
- Literal Translation: 苟安, 一, 隅
- Category: Leadership
- Characters: 4