📖 Meaning
To build up a household and establish a career. It describes the process of achieving both domestic stability and professional success, often through hard work and prudent management. The phrase emphasizes the dual goals of family prosperity and career accomplishment.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Qing dynasty novel Qilu Deng (歧路灯) by Li Luyuan, where it appears in Chapter 12. In the original context, it is used to describe the ideal outcome of a capable person managing their affairs well—building a thriving family and establishing a solid livelihood. The phrase later gained wider currency through works like Li Baojia's Guanchang Xianxing Ji (官场现形记), where it described someone who accumulated wealth and established a business through their position.
💡 Example Usage
他靠自己的勤奋和节俭，终于兴家立业，过上了安稳的日子。
Through his own diligence and frugality, he finally built up his household and established a career, living a stable life.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 兴家立业
- Pinyin: xīng jiā lì yè
- Literal Translation: prosper, family, establish, career
- Category: Success
- Characters: 4