📖 Meaning
An idiom describing a bumper harvest of all crops, symbolizing prosperity and favorable weather for agriculture. It is widely used to express wishes for a plentiful year, agricultural abundance, and overall national well-being.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in classical texts such as the "Shangshu" (Book of Documents), one of the Five Classics of Confucianism, which dates to the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BCE). The concept of "five grains" (五谷) refers to the staple cereal crops of ancient China: rice, wheat, millet, glutinous millet, and hemp. The character 登 originally means "to climb" but came to signify grains reaching full maturity and being gathered. The idiom became a standard expression of agrarian ideal in subsequent dynasties, frequently invoked by emperors and officials when reporting good harvests to the throne.
💡 Example Usage
今年风调雨顺，五谷丰登，农民们个个喜笑颜开。
With favorable weather this year, all crops yielded abundantly, and every farmer wore a joyful smile.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 五谷丰登
- Pinyin: wǔ gǔ fēng dēng
- Literal Translation: five, grains, abundant, climb (rise)
- Category: Success
- Characters: 4