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
痴人说梦
chī rén shuō mèng
Nonsensical talk
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一丝不挂
yī sī bù guà
Stark naked; wholly unattached
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揭竿而起
jiē gān ér qǐ
Grassroots uprising
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如醉如梦
rú zuì rú mèng
Entranced in dreamlike state
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朝三暮四
zhāo sān mù sì
Fickle and inconsistent
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惊弓之鸟
jīng gōng zhī niǎo
Fear from past trauma
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临渊羡鱼
lín yuān xiàn yú
Act, don't just dream
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门可罗雀
mén kě luó què
Deserted; hardly a visitor
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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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