📖 Meaning
A thirsty person finds any drink sweet. In classical usage, it metaphorically describes how people who have long endured harsh governance are most grateful when benevolent rule finally arrives. The idiom highlights that those in greatest need appreciate relief the most.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the book 'Mencius · Gongsun Chou I' (《孟子·公孙丑上》), a Warring States period text. Mencius, the Confucian philosopher, stated to his disciple Gongsun Chou: 'The hungry find food easy to eat, the thirsty find drink easy to drink.' He was arguing that when the people have suffered under a tyrannical ruler, even modest acts of benevolent governance will be received with overwhelming gratitude. The passage illustrates how suffering heightens appreciation, and how a wise ruler can win hearts simply by ending oppression.
💡 Example Usage
经过多年苛政，百姓如渴者易饮，对新君的德政感恩戴德。
After years of harsh rule, the people, like the thirsty who find any drink sweet, were deeply grateful for the new ruler's benevolent governance.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 渴者易饮
- Pinyin: kě zhě yì yǐn
- Literal Translation: thirsty, one who, easy, drink
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4