📖 Meaning
To wander aimlessly across the ends of the earth. It describes someone who travels endlessly with no fixed home, roaming freely throughout the world. Often conveys a sense of rootless freedom or exile from settled life.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Song dynasty scholar Li Mao's work 'Ye Ke Cong Shu' (野客丛书), which discussed conflicting accounts about the Tang poet Li Bai. According to the text, Li Bai was slandered by colleagues at court and was ordered by imperial decree to return to the mountains, after which he wandered freely across the land. Over time, '浪迹天涯' evolved to describe a life of roaming without a fixed abode.
💡 Example Usage
他年轻时浪迹天涯，走遍了大江南北，直到中年才安定下来。
In his youth, he wandered to the ends of the earth, traveling across the length and breadth of the land, and only settled down in middle age.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 浪迹天涯
- Pinyin: làng jì tiān yá
- Literal Translation: wander, traces, sky, edge
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4