居大不易 — “To dwell in a great place is not easy”
居大不易 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “it is difficult to live and make a living in a large city due to the high costs and competitive environment”. Literally, “To dwell in a great place is not easy”.
居大不易 Pronunciation and Pinyin
居大不易 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 居大不易
Origin and Story of 居大不易
During the Tang Dynasty, the renowned literary figure Bai Juyi had just passed the imperial examination and was not yet widely famous. He took his poems to visit Gu Kuang, an influential official at the time.
Gu Kuang, jesting with him, remarked, "Everything is expensive in Chang'an, it's not easy to settle here." However, when he read Bai Juyi's famous lines, "Wildfire cannot burn them all out, when the spring breeze blows, they grow again," he was struck by Bai Juyi's spirited talent.
He immediately acknowledged that he had been joking.
Idioms Related to 居大不易
Synonyms of 居大不易
More idioms starting with 居
- jū居xià下shàn讪shàng上subordinates mock superiors behind their back
- jū居bù不chóng重xí席Live a frugal and simple life
- jū居bù不chóng重yīn茵live a frugal and simple life
- jū居zhī之bù不yí疑feel perfectly justified in one's place
- jū居rén仁yóu由yì义uphold benevolence and act righteously
- jū居tíng停zhǔ主rén人lodging host
- jū居lì利sī思yì义consider righteousness when faced with profit
- jū居gōng功zì自ào傲become arrogant due to past achievements
- jū居gōng功zì自mǎn满rest on laurels
- jū居ān安wàng忘wēi危forget danger in times of peace
- jū居ān安sī思wēi危prepare for danger in times of peace
- jū居ān安lǜ虑wēi危prepare for danger in times of peace
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Open the tool →Questions about 居大不易
What does 居大不易 mean?
居大不易 (jū dà bù yì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “it is difficult to live and make a living in a large city due to the high costs and competitive environment”.
How do you pronounce 居大不易?
居大不易 is pronounced jū dà bù yì in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 居大不易 literally mean?
Literally, 居大不易 means “to dwell in a great place is not easy”. It is used to mean “it is difficult to live and make a living in a large city due to the high costs and competitive environment”.
Where does 居大不易 come from?
居大不易 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 居大不易?
本为唐代诗人顾况以白居易的名字开玩笑。后比喻居住在大城市，生活不容易维持。