📖 Meaning
To live in seclusion among mountains and valleys, embracing a reclusive lifestyle away from worldly affairs. It describes the ideal of a hermit who retreats to nature, finding sustenance and peace in the wilderness rather than seeking wealth or position in society.
📜 Origin Story
No specific textual origin is recorded for this idiom. It draws on classical imagery of dwelling among hills and drinking from mountain streams, reflecting the ancient Chinese tradition of reclusion embraced by scholars and sages. The phrase echoes the Daoist ideal of withdrawing from public life to cultivate one's spirit in harmony with nature, a theme found in the works of poets like Tao Yuanming of the Eastern Jin dynasty who famously abandoned official posts to return to pastoral life.
💡 Example Usage
他厌倦了官场的尔虞我诈，便辞官归隐，栖丘饮谷，终老山林。
Weary of the deceit in officialdom, he resigned his post and retreated to the mountains, dwelling among the hills and drinking from the valleys until the end of his days.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 栖丘饮谷
- Pinyin: qī qiū yǐn gǔ
- Literal Translation: dwell on hills, drink from valleys
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4