饭后百步走,活到九十九

飯後百步走,活到九十九
fànhòu bǎi bù zǒu huó dào jiǔshíjiǔ
proverb

Meanings

  1. 1 a hundred steps after a meal will let you live to ninety-nine
  2. 2 walking after dinner promotes longevity

Examples

HSK 4
Tā měitiān fànhòu sànbù, xiāngxìn fànhòu bǎi bù zǒu, huó dào jiǔshí jiǔ.
He goes for a walk after every meal, believing the saying about a hundred post-meal steps and a long life.
HSK 7-9
Súhuàshuō, fànhòu bǎi bù zǒu, huó dào jiǔshí jiǔ.
As the saying goes: a hundred steps after a meal and you'll live to ninety-nine.

Tips

culture
A folk health proverb of disputed origin (often loosely attributed to traditional Chinese medicine and to the Ming-Qing physician Cao Tingdong 曹庭栋). Modern medicine has partly vindicated it: light walking after meals modestly improves blood sugar regulation. The number 九十九 rhymes with 走, which is why this version stuck rather than other round numbers.
usage
Often paired or contrasted with 饭后一支烟,赛过活神仙 ('a smoke after a meal makes you feel like a living immortal') - an older saying now used ironically as anti-smoking sentiment grew.

Stroke Order

饭 fàn
后 hòu
百 bǎi
步 bù
走 zǒu
活 huó
到 dào
九 jiǔ
十 shí