📖 Meaning
To steal a moment of leisure amidst a busy schedule. It describes finding time to relax or do something enjoyable even when one is fully occupied with work or duties.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from a poem by the Song dynasty poet Chen Zao, titled 'Touring Lingshan with Chen the Magistrate and Huang the Registrar, Eight Poems.' In a self-annotation, the magistrate said, 'We can be said to be stealing leisure amidst busyness and making joy amid hardship.' The phrase was coined as part of a poetic game using eight characters as rhymes, and it later became a widely used expression for taking a break during a hectic life.
💡 Example Usage
工作再忙，他也会忙里偷闲喝杯茶休息一下。
No matter how busy he is with work, he always steals a moment of leisure to have a cup of tea and rest.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 忙里偷闲
- Pinyin: máng lǐ tōu xián
- Literal Translation: busy, in, steal, leisure
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4