一枕黄粱 yī zhěn huáng liáng A yellow rice dream

Explanation

比喻虚幻不实的梦想或希望，也指不能实现的梦想。

A metaphor for a dream or hope that is unreal or cannot be realized.

Origin Story

相传，唐代有个名叫卢生的书生，他穷困潦倒，在邯郸城一家客栈里遇到了一个道士吕翁。吕翁送给他一个神奇的枕头，并告诉他只要枕着这个枕头睡觉就会做梦。卢生好奇地枕着枕头睡着了，他梦见自己中了进士，做了高官，娶了美妻，儿孙满堂，生活过得富贵荣华。正当他沉浸在幸福美满的梦境中时，突然一阵鸡鸣声把他吵醒了。他睁开眼睛一看，发现自己仍然躺在客栈里，店主正在蒸黄粱米饭，而他所做的一切都是一场梦。吕翁解释说，他所做的梦不过是一瞬间的事情，因为黄粱饭还没有煮熟。

xiāng chuán, táng dài yǒu gè míng jiào lú shēng de shū shēng, tā qióng kùn liáo dǎo, zài hán dān chéng yī jiā kè zhàn lǐ yù dào le yī gè dào shì lǚ wēng. lǚ wēng sòng gěi tā yī gè shén qí de zhěn tou, bìng gàosu tā zhǐ yào zhěn zhe zhè gè zhěn tou shuì jiào jiù huì zuò mèng. lú shēng hào qí dì zhěn zhe zhěn tou shuì zháo le, tā mèng jiàn zì jǐ zhōng le jìn shì, zuò le gāo guān, qǔ le měi qī, ér sūn mǎn táng, shēng huó guò de fù guì róng huá. zhèng dāng tā chén jìn zài xìng fú měi mǎn de mèng jìng zhōng shí, tū rán yī zhèn jī míng shēng bǎ tā chǎo xǐng le. tā zhēng kāi yǎn jīng yī kàn, fā xiàn zì jǐ réng rán tǎng zài kè zhàn lǐ, zhǔ rén zhèng zài zhēng huáng liáng mǐ fàn, ér tā suǒ zuò de yī qiè dōu shì yī chǎng mèng. lǚ wēng jiě shì shuō, tā suǒ zuò de mèng bù guò shì yī shùn jiān de shì qíng, yīn wèi huáng liáng fàn hái méi yǒu zhǔ shú.

It is said that in the Tang Dynasty, there was a poor scholar named Lu Sheng. He was so poor that he had to stay at an inn in Handan City. There he met a Taoist named Lü Weng. Lü Weng gave him a magical pillow and told him that he would have a dream if he slept on the pillow. Curious, Lu Sheng lay down on the pillow and fell asleep. He dreamed that he passed the civil service examination, became a high-ranking official, married a beautiful wife, and had many children and grandchildren. His life was full of wealth and glory. Just as he was immersed in his happy and fulfilling dream, a rooster's crow woke him up. He opened his eyes and found that he was still lying in the inn. The innkeeper was steaming millet rice, and everything he had dreamed of was just a dream. Lü Weng explained that his dream had only lasted a moment, because the millet rice had not yet been cooked.

Usage

这个成语常用来比喻不能实现的梦想或希望。

zhè gè chéng yǔ cháng yòng lái bǐ yù bù néng shí xiàn de mèng xiǎng huò xī wàng.

This idiom is often used to describe a dream or hope that cannot be realized.

Examples

• 人生就像一场梦，最终不过是南柯一梦，一枕黄粱罢了。

  rén shēng jiù xiàng yī chǎng mèng, zuì zhōng bù guò shì nán kē yī mèng, yī zhěn huáng liáng bǎ le.

  Life is like a dream, in the end it's just a dream in the southern bamboo forest, a yellow rice dream.

• 他所有的宏伟计划最终都成了一枕黄粱，令人唏嘘不已。

  tā suǒ yǒu de hóng wěi jì huà zuì zhōng dōu chéng le yī zhěn huáng liáng, lìng rén xī xū bù yǐ.

  All his grand plans ended up as a yellow rice dream, which is a pity.

Related Idioms

• 南柯一梦

• 黄粱美梦

• 梦寐以求

• 痴心妄想

Opposite Idioms

• 如愿以偿

• 梦想成真

• 心想事成