黄粱一梦
黄粱一梦 (huáng liáng yī mèng) literally means “a dream of yellow millet” and expresses “ephemeral dreams”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: huang liang yi meng, huang liang yi meng,黄粱一梦 meaning, 黄粱一梦 in english
Ephemeral dreams
Pronunciation: huáng liáng yī mèng Literal meaning: A dream of yellow millet
Origin & Usage
A Tang tale has a discontented young man at an inn in Handan complaining of his prospects to a Daoist, who lends him a pillow. He dreams an entire life — a good marriage, high office, disgrace, exile, recall, wealth, grandchildren, and death at eighty. He wakes. The innkeeper's yellow millet (黄粱), which had been put on to steam before he lay down, is still not cooked. A single (一) dream (梦) over a pot of millet, and the phrase is used of ambition that turns out to be illusory, and of any grand prospect that evaporates.
Examples
English: "His aspirations were ultimately just a fleeting fantasy that never materialized"
Chinese: 他的抱负最终不过是一个转瞬即逝的幻想
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
一波三折
yī bō sān zhé
Many twists and turns
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改邪归正
gǎi xié guī zhèng
Return to righteousness
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好逸恶劳
hào yì wù láo
Shirk effort by preference
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物极必反
wù jí bì fǎn
Push far enough and it turns
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塞翁失马
sài wēng shī mǎ
Misfortune might be a blessing
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近水楼台
jìn shuǐ lóu tái
Advantage from close connections
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夜郎自大
yè láng zì dà
Overestimate oneself
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因果报应
yīn guǒ bào yìng
Good and evil deeds repaid in kind
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 黄粱一梦 mean in English?
黄粱一梦 (huáng liáng yī mèng) literally translates to “A dream of yellow millet” and is used to express “Ephemeral dreams”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 黄粱一梦 used?
Situation: His aspirations were ultimately just a fleeting fantasy that never materialized
What is the pinyin for 黄粱一梦?
The pinyin pronunciation for 黄粱一梦 is “huáng liáng yī mèng”.
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