听天由命 Tīng Tiān Yóu Mìng to leave it to fate

Explanation

听天由命指的是顺其自然，不主动努力改变现状。

Tīng tiān yóu mìng means to let things take their course, to not actively try to change the status quo.

Origin Story

很久以前，在一个偏僻的小山村里，住着一位名叫老张的农民。他一生勤劳朴实，辛勤耕耘，却始终未能过上富足的生活。一年，一场罕见的旱灾席卷了整个村庄，庄稼颗粒无收，村民们陷入了绝望的境地。老张看着自己干涸的田地，心里充满了无奈。他曾经尝试过各种方法抗旱，但都无济于事。最终，他只能无奈地叹了口气，说：“唉，看来只能听天由命了。”他不再挣扎，接受了命运的安排。然而，令人意想不到的是，就在他放弃努力的时候，一场及时的秋雨不期而至，拯救了即将枯死的庄稼。老张的庄稼也奇迹般地恢复了生机，迎来了丰收。这次经历让老张明白，虽然有些事情我们无法掌控，但积极的努力依然重要。即使结果不如人意，我们也要尽力而为，而不是消极地等待命运的安排。

hěn jiǔ yǐ qián, zài yīgè piānpì de xiǎo shāncūn lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi míng jiào lǎo zhāng de nóngmín. tā yīshēng qínláo pǔshí, xīnqín gēngyún, què shǐzhōng wèi néng guò shang fùzú de shēnghuó. yī nián, yī chǎng hǎnjiàn de hànzāi xíjuǎn le zhěnggè cūn zhuāng, zhuāngjia kēlí wú shōu, cūnmín men xiànrù le juéwàng de jìngdì. lǎo zhāng kànzhe zìjǐ gānhé de tiándì, xīn lǐ chōngmǎn le wú nài. tā céngjīng shìyàng guò gè zhǒng fāngfǎ kàng hàn, dàn dōu wújì yùshì. zuìzhōng, tā zhǐ néng wú nài de tàn le kǒngqì, shuō: "ái, kàn lái zhǐ néng tīng tiān yóu mìng le." tā bù zài zhēngzhá, jiēshòu le mìngyùn de ānpái. rán'ér, lìng rén yìxiǎng bù dào de shì, jiù zài tā fàngqì nǔlì de shíhòu, yī chǎng jíshí de qiū yǔ bù qī ér zhì, jiùzéng le jíjiāng kū sǐ de zhuāngjia. lǎo zhāng de zhuāngjia yě qíjī bānmì de huīfù le shēngjī, yíng lái le fēngshōu. zhè cì jīnglì ràng lǎo zhāng míngbai, suīrán yǒuxiē shìqíng wǒmen wúfǎ zhǎngkuò, dàn jījí de nǔlì yīrán zhòngyào. jíshǐ jiéguǒ bù rú rén yì, wǒmen yào yǐ jìnlì ér wéi, ér bùshì xiāojí de děngdài mìngyùn de ānpái.

Long ago, in a remote mountain village, lived a farmer named Lao Zhang. He was hardworking and honest all his life, diligently cultivating his fields, but he never lived a rich life. One year, an unusual drought swept through the entire village, the crops failed, and the villagers fell into despair. Lao Zhang looked at his parched fields and was filled with helplessness. He had tried various methods to combat the drought, but to no avail. Finally, he sighed helplessly and said, "Alas, it seems I can only leave it to fate." He no longer struggled and accepted fate's arrangement. However, unexpectedly, just as he gave up, a timely autumn rain came unexpectedly and saved the dying crops. Lao Zhang's crops miraculously recovered and yielded a bountiful harvest. This experience taught Lao Zhang that although we cannot control some things, active effort is still important. Even if the results are unsatisfactory, we should do our best, rather than passively waiting for fate's arrangement.

Usage

表示听任自然发展，不作主观努力。

biǎoshì tīng rèn zìrán fāzhǎn, bù zuò zhǔguān nǔlì

It expresses leaving things to develop naturally without making any subjective efforts.

Examples

• 面对困境，他只能听天由命。

  miàn duì kùnjìng, tā zhǐ néng tīng tiān yóu mìng.

  Faced with difficulties, he could only resign himself to fate.

• 这次考试，我只能听天由命了。

  zhè cì kǎoshì, wǒ zhǐ néng tīng tiān yóu mìng le

  I can only leave this exam to fate.

Related Idioms

• 听其自然

• 顺其自然

Opposite Idioms

• 积极进取

• 奋发图强