老气横秋 — “Lacking in youthful vigor or spirit”
老气横秋 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Lacking in youthful vigor or spirit”. Affectedly venerable or pompous; showing an air of exaggerated seniority or complacency. Literally, “Aged demeanor permeating autumn”.
老气横秋 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 老lǎo
- 气qì
- 横héng
- 秋qiū
老气横秋 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 老气横秋
Origin and Story of 老气横秋
During the Southern Dynasties period, Kong Zhike, a refined and elegant recluse from the Qi kingdom, learned that Zhou Yanlun, who had once lived in seclusion on Mount Zhong, was appointed as the magistrate of Haiyan County.
Kong Zhike felt that Zhou Yanlun was not a true recluse and lacked the integrity and ambition of ancient recluses like Chaofu and Xuyou.
Therefore, Kong Zhike composed "A Letter to North Mountain" (《北山移文》), which included the line: "Romantic sentiments spread with the sun, and frosty air pervades autumn" ("风情张日，霜气横秋。").
The idiom "老气横秋" (lǎo qì héng qiū) later evolved from the imagery of "霜气横秋" (frosty air pervading autumn), coming to describe a person who lacks youthful vitality or displays an air of affected seniority and complacency.
Idioms Related to 老气横秋
Synonyms of 老气横秋
Antonyms of 老气横秋
More idioms starting with 老
- lǎo老bù不xiǎo晓shì事old and muddled
- lǎo老zhī之jiāng将zhì至old age is approaching
- lǎo老yú于shì世gù故worldly-wise and experienced
- lǎo老sēng僧rù入dìng定deeply absorbed and still
- lǎo老bā八bèi辈zi子extremely old-fashioned
- lǎo老yī医shǎo少bo卜Each has their own strengths
- lǎo老gǔ古bǎn板an old-fashioned stick-in-the-mud
- lǎo老gǔ古dǒng董old-fashioned person or thing
- lǎo老wú吾lǎo老yǐ以jí及rén人zhī之lǎo老Respect all elders as your own
- lǎo老dà大tú徒shāng伤Regret wasted youth in old age
- lǎo老dà大tú徒shāng伤bēi悲lament wasted youth in old age
- lǎo老dà大wú无chéng成grow old without achieving anything
Questions about 老气横秋
- What does 老气横秋 mean?
- 老气横秋 (lǎo qì héng qiū) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Lacking in youthful vigor or spirit”.
- How do you pronounce 老气横秋?
- 老气横秋 is pronounced lǎo qì héng qiū in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 老气横秋 literally mean?
- Literally, 老气横秋 means “Aged demeanor permeating autumn”. It is used to mean “Lacking in youthful vigor or spirit”.
- Where does 老气横秋 come from?
- 老气横秋 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 老气横秋?
- 老气：老年人的气派；横：充满。形容老练而自负的神态。现形容自高自大，摆老资格。也形容缺乏朝气。