📖 Meaning
Describes a life of carefree contentment in peaceful times, where people have plenty to eat and live at ease. The image is of a person with a full, distended belly holding food in their mouth, leisurely and without worry. It conveys the ideal of a tranquil, prosperous era free from hardship.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the 'Horses' Hooves' chapter of the Daoist classic Zhuangzi, attributed to the philosopher Zhuang Zhou of the Warring States period. The text recalls the age of the legendary ancient ruler Hexushi, when people rested without knowing why and wandered without fixed destination. They would hold food in their mouths while playing and drum their full bellies while strolling, living in effortless simplicity. Zhuangzi used this image to praise the natural, carefree state of humanity before complex governance and artificial institutions arose.
💡 Example Usage
太平年间，百姓鼓腹含哺，尽享安逸之乐。
In peaceful times, the common people live in contentment, with full bellies and food in hand, enjoying lives of ease and leisure.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鼓腹含哺
- Pinyin: gǔ fù hán bǔ
- Literal Translation: puff out belly, hold food in mouth
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4