📖 Meaning
Literally refers to wild flowers and grasses growing freely in the fields. Metaphorically, it describes women outside of marriage whom a man casually dallies with, treating them as fleeting amusements rather than serious commitments.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Yuan dynasty drama literature. It appears in the anonymous Yuan play '马陵道' (The Battle of Maling), where the line '野草闲花满地愁' laments how wild grass and flowers cover the ground in sorrow. It also appears in the anonymous Yuan play '渔樵记' (The Fisherman and the Woodcutter), where a recluse befriends pine and cypress trees and lives among wild grass and flowers as neighbors. Over time, the phrase evolved to metaphorically denote casual romantic affairs outside marriage.
💡 Example Usage
他成家后便不再拈闲花野草，一心只顾着家中妻儿。
After starting a family, he no longer pursued idle flowers and wild grass, devoting himself entirely to his wife and children at home.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 闲花野草
- Pinyin: xián huā yě cǎo
- Literal Translation: idle flowers, wild grass
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4