📖 Meaning
Describes a time when the seasons are favorable and the grain harvest is bountiful. It is used to praise an era of peace and prosperity. The phrase conveys an ideal state of natural and social harmony.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Biography of Wang Jingze in the Book of Southern Qi (南齐书), a history of the Southern Qi dynasty (479–502 CE). Wang Jingze, a prominent general, submitted a memorial arguing that the best way to relieve the people's suffering was to reduce taxes. He noted that even in times of peaceful seasons and abundant harvests, the common people still endured hardship, and asked what would happen if drought or flood should strike. The phrase thus entered the language as a classical expression for prosperous, well-governed times.
💡 Example Usage
愿天下时和岁稔，百姓安居乐业。
May the world enjoy harmonious seasons and bountiful harvests, with the people living in peace and contentment.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 时和岁稔
- Pinyin: shí hé suì rěn
- Literal Translation: seasons, harmonious, year, abundant harvest
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4