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知足常乐 (zhī zú cháng lè) — (idiom) contentment brings lasting happiness; being satisfied with what one has leads to joy

Definition

A chengyu meaning that contentment with what you have is the source of lasting happiness. Unlike 怡然自得, which describes a momentary contented mood, 知足常乐 is a philosophical principle about how to live.

idiom
contentment brings lasting happinessbeing satisfied with what one has leads to joy

Examples

  • ，知足常乐。
    Shēng huó bú bì tài fù zá, zhī zú cháng lè cái shì zhēn zhèng de xìng fú.
    Life doesn't need to be too complicated; true happiness comes from contentment.
  • 知足常乐，。
    Tā zǒng shì quàn wǒ zhī zú cháng lè, bú yào hé bié rén pān bǐ.
    He always advises me to be content with what I have and not compare myself to others.
  • 知足常乐，。
    zhī zú cháng lè Zhè jù huà tīng qǐ lái jiǎn dān, zuò qǐ lái què bù róng yì.
    The saying 'contentment brings happiness' sounds simple, but it's not easy to practice.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

An early form of 知 showed 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to a child to pass on knowledge. The 子 part was dropped, and the 大 part changed shape.

Open 知 →

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

足 was originally drawn as a leg.

Open 足 →

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
巾巾jīncloth
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng常cháng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

常 pairs 巾, a cloth, with 尚 as a sound part; the form originally referred to a lower garment.

Open 常 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 樂; 乐 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 樂, 絲 (string) with 木 (wood) shows strings on a piece of wood, a musical instrument; the simplified 乐 is a later shorthand.

Open 乐 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6

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