📖 Meaning
To live out one's days in a leisurely and carefree manner, free from worry or heavy responsibility. It conveys a lifestyle of relaxed comfort, often associated with retirement or a time of peace. The phrase suggests enjoying life's passage without stress or urgency.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in the modern novel Zi Ye (Midnight), written by the prominent 20th-century author Mao Dun. In the novel, the character Zeng Canghai, despite his age, cannot enjoy a leisurely retirement because his son, though named 'Jiaju' (fine steed), is less useful than a family dog. Zeng Canghai must personally attend to mundane household matters such as firewood, rice, oil, and salt, rather than passing his remaining years in ease. The expression highlights the irony of being unable to rest even when one has earned the right to do so.
💡 Example Usage
退休后的他养花钓鱼，优游岁月，日子过得十分惬意。
After retiring, he tends flowers and goes fishing, passing his days in leisurely contentment.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 优游岁月
- Pinyin: yōu yóu suì yuè
- Literal Translation: leisurely, wander, years, months
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4