📖 Meaning
A field mouse drinking from a river can only fill its belly. It is a metaphor for having very limited needs or desires — one takes only what is sufficient, no matter how vast the available resources may be.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Daoist text Zhuangzi (《庄子》), specifically the chapter 'Wandering Beyond' (逍遥游), written by the philosopher Zhuang Zhou during the Warring States period. In the passage, Zhuangzi compares a field mouse drinking from a river to illustrate that no matter how abundant the resources, each creature can only consume a small portion. The mouse drinks its fill and leaves, unconcerned with the river's vastness. The story conveys a Daoist view of contentment and the natural limits of desire.
💡 Example Usage
财富再多也不过是偃鼠饮河，够用就好。
No matter how much wealth there is, it is like a field mouse drinking from a river — enough is enough.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 偃鼠饮河
- Pinyin: yǎn shǔ yǐn hé
- Literal Translation: field mouse, drink, river
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4