若离若即 ruò lí ruò jí distant

Explanation

形容对人或事保持一定的距离，态度不明朗。

Describes a certain distance to a person or thing, an unclear attitude.

Origin Story

小镇上住着一位美丽的姑娘，名叫小玉。村里的年轻人都喜欢她，纷纷向她示爱。然而，小玉对他们既不拒绝，也不主动亲近，总是保持着若即若离的关系。有人说她高冷，有人说她犹豫，也有人说她是在等待真爱。小玉自己也说不清楚，她只是觉得，那些追求者都无法走进她的内心，她需要更多的时间去了解，去选择。她喜欢一个人静静地坐在山坡上，看着夕阳西下，感受着微风轻拂，那种感觉，让她感到宁静而满足，这让她对爱情有了更高的期许，她不愿意将就。直到有一天，一位远方来的书生，他博学多才，温文尔雅，与小玉有着共同的爱好，两人常常一起谈论诗词歌赋，探讨人生哲理。他们之间，没有热烈的追求，也没有强烈的占有欲，有的只是平静的相处和淡淡的欣赏。小玉发现，她对书生的感觉与其他人不同，那是她渴望已久的，一种心灵的契合。他们之间的关系，不再是若即若离，而是水到渠成，自然而然地走到了一起。

xiǎo zhèn shàng zhù zhe yī wèi měilì de gū niang, míng jiào xiǎo yù. cūn lǐ de nián qīng rén dōu xǐ huan tā, fēn fēn xiàng tā shì ài. rán ér, xiǎo yù duì tāmen jì bù jù jué, yě bù zǔ dòng qīn jìn, zǒng shì bǎo chí zhe ruò jí ruò lí de guānxi. yǒu rén shuō tā gāo lěng, yǒu rén shuō tā yóuyù, yě yǒu rén shuō tā shì zài děng dài zhēn ài. xiǎo yù zì jǐ yě shuō bù qīng chǔ, tā zhǐ shì jué de, nàxiē zhuī qiú zhě dōu wú fǎ zǒu jìn tā de nèixīn, tā xū yào gèng duō de shí jiān qù liǎo jiě, qù xuǎn zé. tā xǐ huan yī gè rén jìng jìng de zuò zài shān pō shàng, kànzhe xī yáng xī xià, gǎn shòu zhe wēi fēng qīng fú, nà zhǒng gǎnjué, ràng tā gǎn dào níng jìng ér mǎn zú, zhè ràng tā duì àiqíng yǒu le gèng gāo de qǐ xǔ, tā bù yuànyì jiāng jiù. zhì dào yǒu yī tiān, yī wèi yuǎn fāng lái de shū shēng, tā bó xué duō cái, wēn wén ěr yǎ, yǔ xiǎo yù yǒu zhe gòng tóng de ài hào, liǎng rén cháng cháng yī qǐ tán lùn shī cí gē fù, tàn tǎo rén shēng zhé lǐ. tāmen zhī jiān, méiyǒu rè liè de zhuī qiú, yě méiyǒu qiáng liè de zhàn yǒu yù, yǒu de zhǐ shì píng jìng de xiāng chǔ hé dàn dàn de xīn shǎng. xiǎo yù fā xiàn, tā duì shū shēng de gǎnjué yǔ qí tā rén bù tóng, nà shì tā kě wàng yǐ jiǔ de, yī zhǒng xīn líng de qì hé. tāmen zhī jiān de guānxi, bù zài shì ruò jí ruò lí, ér shì shuǐ dào qú chéng, zì rán ér rán de zǒu dào le yī qǐ.

In a small town lived a beautiful girl named Xiaoyu. Many young men loved her and tried to win her attention. However, Xiaoyu kept them at arm's length. Some called her cold and distant, others said she was indecisive, and still others thought she was waiting for true love. Even Xiaoyu herself wasn't sure what she wanted. She just felt that none of the admirers truly touched her heart. She needed more time to get to know the men and find the right one. She preferred to spend her time on a hill, watching the sunset and enjoying the gentle breeze. This feeling gave her peace and contentment and made her redefine love. She wasn't willing to settle for less. One day, a scholar came from afar. He was educated, polite and shared Xiaoyu's interests. They often talked about poetry and philosophy. There was no passionate pursuit or possessiveness, only quiet companionship and gentle appreciation. Xiaoyu noticed that her feelings for the scholar were different from those she had for other men. It was a spiritual connection she had long yearned for. Their relationship was no longer distant but developed naturally and effortlessly.

Usage

多用于形容人与人之间关系的疏远，或态度的不确定。

duō yòng yú xíngróng rén yǔ rén zhī jiān guānxi de shū yuǎn, huò tàidu de bù quèdìng.

Often used to describe the distance in relationships between people or the uncertainty of attitude.

Examples

• 他和她之间，关系一直若即若离。

  tā hé tā zhī jiān, guānxi yīzhí ruòjí ruòlí.

  Their relationship has always been distant.

• 我对这个项目的态度，是若离若即的。

  wǒ duì zhège xiàngmù de tàidu, shì ruòlí ruòjí de。

  I am rather reserved towards this project.

Related Idioms

• 若即若离

• 模棱两可

Opposite Idioms

• 亲密无间

• 形影不离