📖 Meaning
To wait for the Yellow River to become clear. Since the Yellow River is perpetually muddy, this is an impossible wish. It is used to describe a hope or expectation that can never be realized.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Zuo Zhuan' (左传), specifically the eighth year of Duke Xiang (襄公八年). The text cites a line from the 'Poetry of Zhou' (周诗): 'If you wait for the Yellow River to clear, how long can a person's life be?' The quote contrasts the impossibility of the river clearing with the shortness of human life, emphasizing the folly of waiting for something that will never happen. It has since become a metaphor for vain hopes and unrealizable expectations.
💡 Example Usage
指望他来道歉，简直是俟河之清。
Hoping for him to apologize is like waiting for the Yellow River to run clear.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 俟河之清
- Pinyin: sì hé zhī qīng
- Literal Translation: wait, river, of, clear
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4