📖 Meaning
To work on and off without consistency or persistence. It describes a person who starts something but repeatedly gives up midway, unable to sustain effort or follow through. The idiom highlights a lack of discipline and the inability to stick with a task to completion.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Han dynasty scholar Yang Xiong's work 'Fa Yan' (法言), specifically the 'Filial Piety' (孝至) chapter. Someone asked him, 'How does one discern hypocrisy?' Yang Xiong replied, 'When others are present, one acts; when alone, one stops — that is hypocrisy. To judge a person, simply observe whether their efforts are constant or intermittent.' The phrase '作辍' (starting and stopping) thus became a metaphor for insincerity and lack of genuine commitment. Over time, '作辍无常' evolved into a broader idiom describing any inconsistent or half-hearted effort.
💡 Example Usage
他学习作辍无常，成绩一直上不去。
He studies inconsistently, starting and stopping without discipline, so his grades never improve.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 作辍无常
- Pinyin: zuò chuò wú cháng
- Literal Translation: do, stop, without constancy
- Category: Perseverance
- Characters: 4