日出而作

rìchū'érzuò

idiom #57,003

Meanings

1 to rise with the sun and work
2 to lead a simple agrarian life

Characters

Examples

山里的人日出而作，日落而息。

Shān lǐ de rén rì chū ér zuò, rì luò ér xī.

People in the mountains rise at sunrise to work and rest at sunset.

他向往日出而作的田园生活。

Tā xiàngwǎng rì chū ér zuò de tiányuán shēnghuó.

He longs for a simple pastoral life of rising with the sun.

Tips

history

Short form of 日出而作，日入而息, a line from 《庄子·让王》 describing the rhythm of primitive, self-sufficient life. Often quoted nostalgically about agrarian simplicity.

Stroke Order

日 rì

出 chū

而 ér

作 zuò