日落而息 (rì luò ér xī) — to rest when the sun sets; to follow a natural daily rhythm

Definition

A literary idiom meaning to rest at sundown, describing a life in harmony with the natural day–night cycle. Pairs as a set with 日出而作 ('work at sunrise').

idiom
to rest when the sun setsto follow a natural daily rhythm

Examples

  • ，日落而息，。
    Gǔ rén rì chū ér zuò, rì luò ér xī, shēng huó jiǎn dān ér chōng shí.
    The ancients rose at sunrise and rested at sunset, living a simple and fulfilling life.
  • ，日落而息。
    Zài zhè ge kuài jié zòu de shè huì lǐ, hěn duō rén xiàng wǎng rì luò ér xī de shēng huó.
    In this fast-paced society, many people long for a life of resting when the sun sets.
  • ，日落而息。
    Tā tuì xiū hòu bān dào le xiāng xia, guò shàng le rì luò ér xī de rì zi.
    After retiring, he moved to the countryside and began living a life of resting when the sun sets.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

日 originally drew the sun. A mark was added inside to tell it apart from similar square shapes.

Open 日 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
洛
洛luò落luò
Same sound today

落 pairs 艹 with 洛; 洛 gives the sound, and 艹 relates to the meaning.

Open 落 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 而 is a picture of a beard.

Open 而 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

In 息, 自 is nose and 心 is heart, showing breath or life passing through one's nose.

Open 息 →

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