📖 Meaning
Literally 'within the six directions.' The six directions refer to heaven, earth, east, south, west, and north. The phrase means 'within the world' or 'within the universe,' referring to all that exists in the realm of human experience and the natural world.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Daoist text Zhuangzi (《庄子·齐物论》), written during the Warring States period by the philosopher Zhuang Zhou. In this passage, Zhuangzi discusses how the sage approaches knowledge: matters beyond the six directions are acknowledged but not debated, while matters within the six directions are debated but not held onto. The 'six directions' (六合) denote heaven, earth, and the four cardinal directions, encompassing the entire world. The expression later came to represent the totality of the known world or all under heaven.
💡 Example Usage
古代帝王自认为六合之内皆为王土，无不臣服。
Ancient emperors considered all lands within the six directions to be their domain, where none could resist submission.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 六合之内
- Pinyin: liù hé zhī nèi
- Literal Translation: six, harmony, of, within
- Category: Distance
- Characters: 4