📖 Meaning
Literally meaning to live under someone else's fence, this idiom figuratively describes depending on others for one's livelihood. It conveys a lack of independence and a subordinate position in life. The phrase carries a sense of helplessness and diminished dignity.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Biography of Zhang Rong in the History of the Southern Dynasties (南史), compiled by Li Yanshou during the Tang Dynasty. Zhang Rong, a scholar-official of the Southern Qi Dynasty, declared that a true man should revise the Book of Odes and the Book of History and establish rites and music, rather than stoop to relying on others for support. His words reflected a proud spirit of self-reliance and intellectual ambition. Over centuries, the expression evolved to describe anyone who lives in dependence on others.
💡 Example Usage
他不愿依人篱下，决心自己创业谋生。
Unwilling to live under someone else's roof, he resolved to start his own business and make a living.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 依人篱下
- Pinyin: yī rén lí xià
- Literal Translation: rely on, others, fence, under
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4