📖 Meaning
Describes a state of being completely relaxed and joyful, with a broad and open mind. It conveys the feeling of contentment that comes from being in a beautiful natural setting or free from worldly worries.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from the Song Dynasty essay 'Yueyang Tower' (《岳阳楼记》) by the renowned statesman and writer Fan Zhongyan (范仲淹). In the essay, Fan describes how gazing out over the vast expanse of Lake Dongting on a clear spring day, with gentle breezes and bright sunshine, makes one feel '心旷神怡, 宠辱偕忘' — broad of heart and delighted in spirit, forgetting both favor and disgrace. The essay, written in 1046, is one of the most celebrated works of classical Chinese prose.
💡 Example Usage
登上山顶，俯瞰云海翻涌，不禁令人心旷神怡。
Reaching the mountaintop and gazing down at the rolling sea of clouds, one cannot help but feel completely relaxed and joyful.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 心旷神怡
- Pinyin: xīn kuàng shén yí
- Literal Translation: heart, open, spirit, delighted
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4