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

HSK 7-9

山里的人日出而作，日落而息。

Shān lǐ de rén rìchū'érzuò, rìluò ér xī.

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

HSK 7-9

他向往日出而作的田园生活。

Tā xiàngwǎng rìchū'érzuò 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