在乎山水之间也

在乎山水之間也

zàihūshānshuǐzhījiānyě

phrase

Meanings

1 (the real joy) lies among the mountains and streams
2 (fig.) one's true delight is not in surface appearances but in a deeper scene or purpose
3 (lit.) it is among mountains and waters

Characters

at / in (classical particle, = 于)

water (山水 = landscape)

之

zhī

's (classical possessive)

(classical final particle)

Examples

他说喝茶不在茶，而在乎山水之间也，品的是心境。

Tā shuō hē chá bù zài chá, ér zài hū shānshuǐ zhī jiān yě, pǐn de shì xīnjìng.

He said drinking tea is not about the tea itself — 'it lies among the mountains and streams' — what you savor is the state of mind.

这位画家的乐趣不在名利，真是醉翁之意不在酒，在乎山水之间也。

Zhè wèi huàjiā de lèqù bú zài mínglì, zhēn shì zuìwēng zhī yì bú zài jiǔ, zài hū shānshuǐ zhī jiān yě.

This painter's joy is not in fame or profit — truly, 'the old drunkard's mind is not on the wine; it lies among the mountains and streams.'

Tips

history

From 欧阳修《醉翁亭记》(Ouyang Xiu, 'Record of the Old Drunkard's Pavilion,' Northern Song, 1046 CE): 醉翁之意不在酒，在乎山水之间也。山水之乐，得之心而寓之酒也 (The Old Drunkard's mind is not on the wine, but among the mountains and waters. The joy of mountains and waters is grasped in the heart and lodged in the wine). Written while Ouyang Xiu was demoted to Chuzhou; the essay is a standard text in Chinese high-school literature.

usage

Almost always quoted as the second half of the couplet 醉翁之意不在酒，在乎山水之间也. On its own it sounds incomplete — pair it with 醉翁之意不在酒 for the full meaning 'the real interest lies elsewhere.'

Stroke Order

在 zài

乎 hū

山 shān

水 shuǐ

之 zhī

间 jiān

也 yě