📖 Meaning
This idiom describes living as a recluse or hermit in mountain caves and valleys, withdrawn from worldly society. It conveys a lifestyle of seclusion dedicated to contemplation, spiritual cultivation, or the pursuit of Daoist longevity. The imagery evokes someone dwelling among cliffs and drinking from mountain streams, far from courtly or urban life.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in the Ming dynasty work "得道长生颂" (Ode to Attaining the Way and Long Life) by the renowned statesman and grand secretary Zhang Juzheng (张居正). In the original passage, he writes that those who "dwell in rocks and drink from valleys, abstain from grain and inhale essence" (岩栖谷饮、绝粒噏精) are merely "guardians of bodily form" (守形之士). Zhang uses the phrase to characterize disciplined ascetic practitioners of Daoist longevity techniques, suggesting that such rigorous seclusion represents only a lower tier of cultivation compared with true spiritual transcendence. The expression is closely related to the variant 岩栖谷隐 and reflects longstanding Chinese admiration for the reclusive sage tradition.
💡 Example Usage
自古便有文人雅士向往岩栖谷饮的恬淡生活。
Since ancient times, scholars and refined gentlemen have longed for the serene life of dwelling among rocks and drinking from mountain valleys.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 岩栖谷饮
- Pinyin: yán qī gǔ yǐn
- Literal Translation: rock, dwell, valley, drink
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4