📖 Meaning
Literally "plowing in the cold and weeding in the heat," this idiom describes the year-round toil and hardship of agricultural labor. It conveys the exhaustion of farmers who work through bitter winters and scorching summers. By extension, it refers to any grueling physical or productive work endured across all seasons.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from Kongzi Jiayu (The School Sayings of Confucius), a text traditionally attributed to disciples of Confucius but most likely compiled during the Han or Wei-Jin period. In the chapter Qujie Jie (Explanation of Compromise), it is written: "The people plow in the cold and weed in the heat, yet cannot even obtain enough to eat." The phrase laments the suffering of common farmers who labor through extreme weather yet still face hunger, reflecting the Confucian concern for the welfare of the common people and the injustices they endure.
💡 Example Usage
农民寒耕热耘一整年，却连温饱都难以维持。
The farmers toiled through the cold and heat for a whole year, yet could barely sustain even their basic needs.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 寒耕热耘
- Pinyin: hán gēng rè yùn
- Literal Translation: cold, plow, hot, weed
- Category: Perseverance
- Characters: 4