方寸之地 fāng cùn zhī dì one's heart; a small space

Explanation

方寸之地，指人的心。

Fangcun zhi di refers to one's heart.

Origin Story

春秋时期，道家学者龙叔去请教宋国名医文挚。龙叔讲述他的病情，荣誉与指责对他毫无影响，财物得失他不在乎，利害得失也影响不了他，感情也不能左右他。文挚仔细观察他一会，忽然惊喜地说：‘你的方寸之地已经空虚，你是圣人了！’龙叔很疑惑，问道：‘方寸之地是什么？’文挚解释道：‘指的就是你的内心世界啊！’龙叔恍然大悟，原来自己已经修炼到了一种超然物外的境界。此后，龙叔更加潜心修炼，最终达到道家最高的境界。这个故事告诉我们，修炼内心的平静，才能获得真正的自由和快乐。

chūnqiū shíqī, dàojiā xuézhě lóngshū qù qǐngjiào sòng guó míngyī wén zhì. lóngshū jiǎngshù tā de bìngqíng, róngyù yǔ zhǐzé duì tā háo wú yǐngxiǎng, cáiwù de shī tā bù zàihu, lìhài de shī yě yǐngxiǎng bù liǎo tā, gǎnqíng yě bù néng zuǒyòu tā. wén zhì zǐxì guānchá tā yīhuìr, hūrán jīngxǐ de shuō: ‘nǐ de fāng cùn zhī dì yǐjīng kōngxū, nǐ shì shèngrén le!’ lóngshū hěn yíhuò, wèndào: ‘fāng cùn zhī dì shì shénme?’ wén zhì jiěshì dào: ‘zhǐ de jiùshì nǐ de nèixīn shìjiè a!’ lóngshū huǎngrán dàwù, yuánlái zìjǐ yǐjīng xiūliàn dào le yī zhǒng chāorán wùwài de jìngjiè. cǐ hòu, lóngshū gèngjiā qiánxīn xiūliàn, zuìzhōng dà dào dàojiā zuì gāo de jìngjiè. zhège gùshì gàosù wǒmen, xiūliàn nèixīn de píngjìng, cáinéng huòdé zhēnzhèng de zìyóu hé kuàilè.

In the Spring and Autumn period, the Daoist scholar Longshu went to consult the famous physician Wen Zhi from the state of Song. Longshu described his illness. Honor and blame had no effect on him, he was indifferent to wealth and loss; neither profit nor loss could influence him; nor could emotions control him. Wen Zhi observed him carefully for a while, then exclaimed joyfully: “Your fangcun zhi di is empty, you are a sage!” Longshu was puzzled and asked: “What is fangcun zhi di?” Wen Zhi explained: “It means your inner world!” Longshu suddenly understood, he had already cultivated a detached realm. After that, Longshu devoted himself even more to cultivation, eventually reaching the highest level of Daoism.

Usage

方寸之地常用来形容人的心境或内心世界。

fāng cùn zhī dì cháng yòng lái xiānróng rén de xīnjìng huò nèixīn shìjiè.

Fangcun zhi di is often used to describe a person's state of mind or inner world.

Examples

  • 他的方寸之地，乱作一团。

    tā de fāng cùn zhī dì, luàn zuò yī tuán; tā suīrán shēn chù kùnjìng, dàn fāng cùn zhī dì què hěn píngjìng

    His heart was in a state of chaos.

  • 他虽然身处困境，但方寸之地却很平静

    Despite being in dire straits, he remained calm in his heart

Related Idioms

  • 心胸

  • 心灵

Opposite Idioms

  • 心猿意马

  • 心烦意乱