📖 Meaning
Literally means climbing a wooded hill and gazing into the distance. It describes someone living far from home who deeply longs for their parents. The idiom evokes the homesickness and filial devotion of a person separated from family.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Book of Songs (诗经), specifically the ode 'Zhi Hu' (陟岵) from the 'Wei Feng' (魏风) section, dating to the Zhou Dynasty. The poem depicts a person serving far from home who climbs a wooded hill to gaze toward where his father lives, then climbs a barren hill to gaze toward his mother, expressing deep filial longing. Each stanza conveys the traveler's ache of separation and his imagined words of caution from his parents. Over the centuries, '陟岵瞻望' became a classical literary expression for homesickness and yearning for one's parents.
💡 Example Usage
游子陟岵瞻望，日夜思念远方双亲。
The wandering son climbs the hill and gazes afar, longing for his parents day and night.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 陟岵瞻望
- Pinyin: zhì hù zhān wàng
- Literal Translation: ascend, wooded hill, gaze, look afar
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4