📖 Meaning
This idiom describes being so preoccupied with worry or concern that one cannot sleep peacefully. It conveys a troubled mind that keeps a person awake, reflecting deep anxiety or earnest care about something weighing on the heart.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Tang Dynasty scholar Li Yuancheng's work 'Response to the Examination for the Virtuous, Upright, and Square' (《应贤良方正科对策》). In it, the emperor is portrayed as so deeply concerned with seeking out worthy and talented officials for governance that he abandons sleep, repeatedly making inquiries year after year and searching the mountains and villages for capable ministers. The phrase was used to praise the ruler's diligent devotion to proper governance.
💡 Example Usage
国家大事萦绕心头，他终日遗寝载怀，难以安眠。
With affairs of state weighing on his mind, he lay awake day and night, unable to find peaceful sleep.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 遗寝载怀
- Pinyin: yí qǐn zài huái
- Literal Translation: abandon sleep, harbor in mind
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4