怡然自得

yírán-zìdé

idiom HSK 7-9 #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 yíránzìdé 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 yíránzìdé 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 de