📖 Meaning
Originally refers to the plain attire of common folk. It came to symbolize the simple, unadorned life of a hermit or recluse who has withdrawn from officialdom and worldly ambitions to live in quiet seclusion.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from a poem by Du Fu, the great Tang Dynasty poet. In his work 'Song of Liu Shaofu's Newly Painted Landscape Screen at Fengxian' (《奉先刘少府新画山水障歌》), Du Fu laments his entanglement in the muddy world of officialdom and declares that from that moment on, he would don green shoes and cloth socks — the humble garb of a recluse — and retreat from public life. The phrase thus became a poetic emblem of renouncing official rank for a life of rustic simplicity.
💡 Example Usage
青鞋布袜归田去，从此人间少一人。
In green shoes and cloth socks, I return to the fields; from this day on, the world of men has one soul fewer.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 青鞋布袜
- Pinyin: qīng xié bù wà
- Literal Translation: green shoes, cloth socks
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4