风餐露宿

Pronunciation: fēng cān lù sù Literal meaning: Eat in wind, sleep in dew

Origin & Usage

Taking meals (餐) in the wind (风) and sleeping (宿) in the dew (露). The two nouns are chosen for being what you get instead of a roof, and neither is dramatic — no storms, no snow, just the ordinary outdoors happening to somebody with nowhere to be. That understatement is where the weight comes from. Long journeys, field work and construction crews, in a tone admiring rather than pitying: the person is understood to have accepted it for a reason.

Examples

English: "The explorers endured harsh conditions during their expedition."

Chinese: 探险队员风餐露宿，忍受着艰苦的条件。