摇头摆尾 Yáo tóu bǎi wěi shake one's head and wag one's tail

Explanation

原指鱼悠闲自在地游动。现形容人轻浮得意、摇头晃脑的样子。

Originally refers to fish swimming leisurely. Now it describes someone who is frivolous and complacent, shaking his head.

Origin Story

很久以前，在一个景色宜人的小山村里，住着一位名叫阿福的渔民。阿福以捕鱼为生，他熟知各种鱼类的习性，总能满载而归。一天，阿福在河边发现了一条十分特别的鱼。这条鱼通体雪白，鳞片闪闪发光，它在水中悠闲地游动，摇头摆尾，姿态优雅。阿福从未见过如此美丽的鱼，他小心翼翼地将它捕捞上来，准备带回家好好欣赏。可是，当阿福把鱼带回家后，却发现它开始变得萎靡不振，不爱游动，也失去了往日的光彩。阿福意识到，这条鱼离开了它熟悉的水域，失去了自由，所以才变得如此消沉。于是，阿福决定把这条鱼放回河里。他回到河边，轻轻地将鱼放入水中，鱼儿仿佛感受到了自由的气息，立刻摇头摆尾，欢快地游走了。阿福看着鱼儿远去的身影，心里充满了快乐。他明白，自由对任何生灵来说都是无比重要的，即使是一条鱼，也需要拥有它自己的空间和自由。从此以后，阿福每次捕鱼都格外小心，他只捕捞那些他真正需要的鱼，其他的则放归自然。

hěn jiǔ yǐqián, zài yīgè jǐngsè yírén de xiǎoshān cūn li, zhù zhe yī wèi míng jiào ā fú de yúmín。ā fú yǐ bǔ yú wéi shēng, tā shúzhī gè zhǒng yúlèi de xíxìng, zǒng néng mǎn zài ér guī。yī tiān, ā fú zài hé biān fāxiànle yī tiáo shífēn tèbié de yú。zhè tiáo yú tōngtǐ xuě bái, línpiàn shǎnshǎn fāguāng, tā zài shuǐ zhōng yōuxián de yóudòng, yáotóubǎiwěi, zītài yōuyǎ。ā fú cóng wèi jiànguò rúcǐ měilì de yú, tā xiǎoxīn yìyì de jiāng tā bǔláo shàng lái, zhǔnbèi dài huí jiā hǎohāo xīn shǎng。kěshì, dāng ā fú bǎ yú dài huí jiā hòu, què fāxiàn tā kāishǐ biàn de wěimǐ bù zhèn, bù ài yóudòng, yě shīqùle wǎng rì de guāngcǎi。ā fú yìshí dào, zhè tiáo yú líkāile tā shúxī de shuǐyù, shīqùle zìyóu, suǒyǐ cái biàn de rúcǐ xiāochén。yúshì, ā fú juédìng bǎ zhè tiáo yú fàng huí hé li。tā huí dào hé biān, qīng qīng de jiāng yú rù rù shuǐ zhōng, yú'ér fǎngfú gǎnshòudào le zìyóu de qìxī, lìkè yáotóubǎiwěi, huānkuài de yóu zǒule。ā fú kànzhe yú'ér yuǎn qù de shēnyǐng, xīn li chōngmǎnle kuàilè。tā míngbái, zìyóu duì rènhé shēnglíng lái shuō dōu shì wúbǐ zhòngyào de, jíshǐ shì yī tiáo yú, yě xūyào yǒngyǒu tā zìjǐ de kōngjiān hé zìyóu。cóngcǐ yǐhòu, ā fú měi cì bǔ yú dōu géwài xiǎoxīn, tā zhǐ bǔláo nàxiē tā zhēnzhèng xūyào de yú, qítā de zé fàng guī zìrán。

A long time ago, in a picturesque mountain village, lived a fisherman named A Fu. A Fu made his living by fishing, and he knew the habits of various fish well, so he always returned home with full nets. One day, A Fu discovered a very special fish by the river. This fish was snow-white, its scales shining, and it swam leisurely in the water, shaking its head and tail, graceful in its posture. A Fu had never seen such a beautiful fish before, and he carefully caught it, preparing to take it home to admire. However, when A Fu brought the fish home, he found that it began to become weak, did not like to swim, and lost its former brilliance. A Fu realized that the fish had left its familiar waters and lost its freedom, so it had become so depressed. Therefore, A Fu decided to return the fish to the river. He returned to the riverbank and gently put the fish into the water. The fish seemed to feel the breath of freedom, and immediately shook its head and tail, swimming away happily. A Fu watched the fish's disappearing figure and was filled with joy. He understood that freedom is extremely important for any living being, even a fish, which needs to have its own space and freedom. From then on, A Fu was extra careful every time he fished; he only caught the fish that he really needed, and released the others back into nature.

Usage

用于形容人轻浮得意，摇头晃脑的样子。

yòng yú xiāo róng rén qīng fú déyì, yáotóu huǎng nǎo de yàngzi。

Used to describe someone who is frivolous and complacent, shaking his head.

Examples

• 他摇头摆尾地走进了办公室。

  tā yáotóubǎiwěi de zǒujìngle bànshìshì。

  He swaggered into the office.

• 胜利后，他摇头摆尾，得意洋洋。

  shènglì hòu，tā yáotóubǎiwěi，déyìyángyáng。

  After the victory, he swaggered, complacently and triumphantly .

Related Idioms

• 摇头晃脑

• 趾高气扬

• 得意忘形

Opposite Idioms

• 垂头丧气

• 闷闷不乐

• 萎靡不振