乐不思蜀 — “Happy, not missing Shu”
乐不思蜀 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be so engrossed in pleasure in a new environment that one forgets about one's original home or past difficulties; to be too happy in a new place to think of returning to the old”. Literally, “Happy, not missing Shu”.
乐不思蜀 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 乐lè
- 不bù
- 思sī
- 蜀shǔ
乐不思蜀 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 乐不思蜀
Origin and Story of 乐不思蜀
During the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei occupied the Shu region and established the state of Shu. After his death, his son Liu Shan succeeded him, also known as Liu A'dou. Liu Shan was incompetent and incapable. After the death of his capable ministers, the state of Shu was conquered by Wei in 263 AD.
After Liu Shan surrendered, King Cao Mao of Wei bestowed upon him the title of "Duke of Anle" (Duke of Peace and Joy), which came with a salary but no real power, and moved him to Xuchang, the capital of Wei. King Cao Mao himself held no real power; Sima Zhao was the true power-holder.
At a banquet, Sima Zhao deliberately arranged for performances of music and dance from the Shu region in front of Liu Shan. While Liu Shan's attendants were greatly saddened, thinking of their fallen homeland, Liu Shan, however, said to Sima Zhao: "It is joyful here; I do not miss Shu." He did not miss the state of Shu at all.
Based on this story, people derived the idiom "乐不思蜀" (happy to forget Shu).
Idioms Related to 乐不思蜀
More idioms starting with 乐
- lè乐bù不kě可jí极Do not indulge in excessive pleasure
- lè乐bù不kě可yán言joy beyond words
- lè乐bù不jí极pán盘Enjoyment should not be carried to excess
- lè乐yè业ān安jū居enjoy work and live in peace
- lè乐lè乐táo醄táo醄extremely joyful and delighted
- lè乐lè乐táo陶táo陶Joyful and content
- lè乐shì事quàn劝gōng功enjoy work and strive for achievement
- lè乐yú于zhù助rén人eager and willing to help others
- lè乐yǐ以wàng忘yōu忧too happy to forget worries
- lè乐shàn善bù不juàn倦tireless in good deeds
- lè乐shàn善hào好yì义delight in goodness and righteousness
Questions about 乐不思蜀
- What does 乐不思蜀 mean?
- 乐不思蜀 (lè bù sī shǔ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be so engrossed in pleasure in a new environment that one forgets about one's original home or past difficulties; to be too happy in a new place to think of returning to the old”.
- How do you pronounce 乐不思蜀?
- 乐不思蜀 is pronounced lè bù sī shǔ in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 乐不思蜀 literally mean?
- Literally, 乐不思蜀 means “Happy, not missing Shu”. It is used to mean “to be so engrossed in pleasure in a new environment that one forgets about one's original home or past difficulties; to be too happy in a new place to think of returning to the old”.
- Where does 乐不思蜀 come from?
- 乐不思蜀 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 乐不思蜀?
- 很快乐，不思念蜀国。比喻在新环境中得到乐趣，不再想回到原来环境中去。