怡然自得

yírán-zìdé

idiom HSK 7 #41,019

Meanings

1 content and pleased with oneself
2 perfectly at ease

Characters

joyful; pleased

thus; -ly (manner suffix)

to obtain; satisfied

Literally 'joyfully self-satisfied' — finding contentment from within, needing nothing else.

Examples

爷爷在院子里怡然自得地喝着茶。

Yéye zài yuànzi lǐ yírán-zìdé de hē zhe chá.

Grandpa was contentedly drinking tea in the courtyard.

他退休后过着怡然自得的生活。

Tā tuìxiū hòu guò zhe yírán-zìdé de shēnghuó.

After retiring, he lives a perfectly contented life.

Tips

history

This idiom comes from 陶渊明's (Táo Yuānmíng) famous essay 《五柳先生传》, describing a recluse scholar perfectly content in his simple, carefree lifestyle — a Daoist ideal.

Stroke Order

怡 yí

然 rán

自 zì

得 dé