📖 Meaning
Fish leap in the deep and hawks soar in the sky — all creatures find their proper place. It describes a state where everything and everyone exists in harmony, each fulfilling its natural role. The idiom conveys an ideal of natural order and contentment.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Book of Songs (诗经), specifically the 'Daya' section in the poem 'Han Lu' (旱麓) from the Western Zhou dynasty. The original lines read, 'The hawk flies up to heaven, the fish leaps in the deep,' depicting the natural vitality of all living things as an expression of heavenly virtue. Later scholars adopted the condensed form 鱼跃鸢飞 to symbolize an ideal world where every being thrives in its rightful place. It has been widely used in classical Chinese literature to evoke images of natural harmony and benevolent governance.
💡 Example Usage
在这太平盛世里，百姓安居乐业，鱼跃鸢飞，一片祥和景象。
In this era of peace and prosperity, the people live and work in contentment, all creatures in their proper place — a scene of perfect harmony.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鱼跃鸢飞
- Pinyin: yú yuè yuān fēi
- Literal Translation: fish leap, hawk fly
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4