高枕无忧
- Literal
- to sleep with a high pillow, free of worry
- Figurative
- To rest easy and live free of worry because everything has been safely arranged in advance.
Where does 高枕无忧 come from?
The phrase comes from the tale of the adviser Feng Xuan in the service of Lord Meng Changjun of the state of Qi, recorded in the 《Zhanguoce》. Feng Xuan told his master that a cunning hare digs three burrows to keep itself safe, whereas Meng Changjun had only one. So Feng Xuan dug the other two for him: he won the loyalty of the people of Xue by cancelling their debts (even burning the loan tallies), maneuvered the state of Liang into trying to hire Meng Changjun so that the king of Qi reinstated him with honors, and finally had an ancestral temple built there to secure his standing. With the three burrows complete, Feng Xuan told him he could now sleep on a high pillow and live without a care.
Source (出处): 《战国策·齐策四》
How is 高枕无忧 used? Two examples
- 买了保险以后，他觉得自己可以高枕无忧了。
After buying insurance, he felt he could finally rest easy.
- 考试还没结束，你现在就高枕无忧太早了。
The exam isn't over yet; it's far too early for you to sit back without a care.
In Wanyu, all 400 chengyu have audio on every sentence, and you can save them to your decks and review them with spaced repetition. Free.
