📖 Meaning
This idiom refers to the age of three years old. It derives from the Confucian teaching that a newborn child remains in the parents' embrace for three years before gaining enough independence to leave it. It is used in literary contexts to describe a very young child of three.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase traces back to the Analerta (论语), specifically the 'Yang Huo' chapter, where Confucius stated: 'A child is born, and after three years, then is freed from the parents' embrace.' This referred to the period of infancy when a child is completely dependent on parental care. The expression was later extracted from this passage to denote the specific age of three. The concept is also closely linked to the Confucian practice of three-year mourning for parents, regarded as repayment for those three years of nurturing.
💡 Example Usage
这孩子尚未到免怀之岁，便已能识得数百字。
This child has not yet reached three years of age, yet can already recognize hundreds of characters.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 免怀之岁
- Pinyin: miǎn huái zhī suì
- Literal Translation: free, from, embrace, of, age
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4