for a living

for a living

Chinese idiom, Pinyin is B à NgR é nm é NH à, which means relying on others, unable to stand on their own. It comes from Dongpo Zhilin written by Su Shi of Song Dynasty.

The origin of Idioms

Volume 12 of Dongpo Zhilin written by Su Shi of Song Dynasty: "we are unworthy of others. How can we compete for leisure?"

Idiom usage

Although we are poor, we are much better off than others. A dream of Red Mansions by Cao Xueqin in Qing Dynasty

Analysis of Idioms

Antonym: self reliance, self-reliance, and being unique

Idiom story

It is said that in ancient times, Taofu and door god were pasted on festivals, and a wormwood man was put on the door. Taofu raised his head to see AI Ren and scolded, "how careless you are! How dare you live on me!" AI man bowed his head and said, "you are half cut to the ground. Do you want to fight for the height?" There was a big fight between the two sides. The door god persuades them to say: "our generation is unworthy. We are close to each other. Why do we have time to fight for leisure?"