食苹鹿

食蘋鹿

shípínglù

idiom

Meanings

1 a noble, unworldly person who spurns rank and wealth
2 a high-minded recluse indifferent to office

Characters

to eat, to graze on

mugwort, wild herb

Examples

他辞官归隐，真如食苹鹿一般，淡泊名利。

Tā cíguān guīyǐn, zhēn rú shípínglù yībān, dànbó mínglì.

He resigned his post and retired to obscurity, like the deer that feeds on mugwort — indifferent to fame and gain.

古人推崇食苹鹿的气节，视富贵如浮云。

Gǔrén tuīchóng shípínglù de qìjié, shì fùguì rú fúyún.

The ancients admired the 'mugwort-grazing deer' ideal, treating wealth and rank as drifting clouds.

Tips

history

From 《诗经·小雅·鹿鸣》: 呦呦鹿鸣，食野之苹 — 'deer call to one another, grazing on mugwort in the wild.' The image became shorthand for a person of lofty spirit who prefers simple country life to court office.

Stroke Order

食 shí

苹 píng

鹿 lù