📖 Meaning
Literally 'as if approaching, as if leaving.' It describes someone who keeps a certain distance, appearing neither too close nor too far. It can also describe something that is vague or ambiguous, difficult to grasp clearly.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase appears in modern Chinese literature, notably in Yao Xueyin's historical novel 'Li Zicheng' (Volume 2, Chapter 16), where a young man follows behind at a distance that seems both close and far, without speaking. Lu Xun also used the phrase in his short story collection 'Wandering' (《彷徨·高老夫子》) to describe writings that partly overlap yet remain difficult to reconcile. The idiom draws on the classical particles 若 (as if) and 即/离 (approach/leave) to capture an attitude of subtle detachment or ambiguity.
💡 Example Usage
他对这份工作总是若即若离，让人猜不透他的真实想法。
He always keeps an arm's-length attitude toward this job, making it hard to guess what he really thinks.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 若即若离
- Pinyin: ruò jì ruò lí
- Literal Translation: seem, approach, seem, leave
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4