📖 Meaning
Put in hard work once and do it thoroughly, so that you can enjoy long-lasting ease without further effort. It emphasizes solving a problem at its root rather than making repeated, temporary fixes.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Han Dynasty scholar Yang Xiong, who wrote in his memorial 'Admonition Against Granting the Chanyu an Audience' that without enduring one bout of hardship, there can be no lasting respite. Later, the historian Ban Gu echoed this sentiment in his 'Inscription on Mount Yanran,' stating that one labor brings lasting ease and temporary expense brings eternal peace. Both used the phrase to argue for decisive, thorough action in military and state affairs.
💡 Example Usage
与其天天修补，不如一劳久逸，彻底解决问题。
Rather than patching things up every day, it's better to solve the problem once and for all.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 一劳久逸
- Pinyin: yī láo jiǔ yì
- Literal Translation: one, labor, long, ease
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4