📖 Meaning
To sing and dance without restraint, indulging in music and pleasure to excess. It describes a state of dissolute hedonism where one abandons oneself to sensual entertainment and neglects proper conduct.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Book of Documents' (书经), specifically the chapter 'Instructions of Yi' (伊训), a text traditionally attributed to the Shang dynasty minister Yi Yin advising the ruler. The original passage warns that those who constantly dance in the palace and sing merrily indoors are following what was called 'shamanic customs' (巫风). Kong Anguo's commentary explains that constant dancing leads to debauchery, while drinking wine to intoxication and singing leads to the neglect of virtue. The idiom thus serves as a classical admonition against excessive indulgence in entertainment.
💡 Example Usage
他继承家业后不思进取，终日酣歌恒舞，短短数年便将祖产挥霍一空。
After inheriting the family business, he made no effort to improve himself, spending his days in unrestrained singing and dancing, and squandered the entire family fortune within just a few years.
🏷️ Category
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🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 酣歌恒舞
- Pinyin: hān gē héng wǔ
- Literal Translation: merrily sing, constantly dance
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4