高枕无忧

Pronunciation: gāo zhěn wú yōu Literal meaning: High pillow no worry

Origin & Usage

In the Strategies of the Warring States, Feng Xuan tells Lord Mengchang that a wily rabbit has three burrows and only just escapes with its life, and that with one refuge his lord 未得高枕而卧, cannot yet sleep on a high pillow (高枕). He builds the other two, and then tells him he may 高枕为乐, take his ease. 无忧 is the modern idiom's addition rather than the text's. The security is manufactured rather than given — this is the reward at the end of the work, not a description of a fortunate man. Resting easy because every contingency has already been covered.

Examples

English: "After installing the security system, the homeowners slept without concern"

Chinese: 安装了安全系统后，房主高枕无忧地睡觉