足不出户 zú bù chū hù Without leaving home

Explanation

指不轻易出门，在家不出门。

It means to not easily go out, not to go out of the house.

Origin Story

从前，在一个偏僻的山村里，住着一位年迈的书生。他一生勤奋好学，博览群书，积累了丰富的知识。然而，由于家境贫寒，他不得不终日伏案苦读，很少出门。即使是邻里乡亲的邀请，他也大多婉拒，只顾埋头于书海之中。乡亲们都称赞他是一位博学多才的隐士，他的名声在方圆几十里内都广为流传。一天，一位年轻的书生慕名前来拜访这位老先生。年轻的书生名叫李白，他听说这位老先生学识渊博，便想向他请教一些治学之道。老先生热情地接待了李白，并将他带到自己的书房。书房里堆满了各种书籍，空气中弥漫着淡淡的书香。李白被这浓郁的书香所吸引，他认真地向老先生请教了许多问题，老先生也一一耐心解答。他们谈论了诗词歌赋，谈论了天文地理，谈论了人生哲理。整整一天，他们都沉浸在知识的海洋中。临走时，李白依依不舍，他向老先生道别，并表示自己一定不会忘记这次宝贵的学习机会。老先生则微笑着目送李白离去，他的心里充满了欣慰。从此以后，这位老先生就更加专注于自己的学术研究，足不出户，直到生命的尽头。

cóng qián, zài yīgè piānpì de shāncūn lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi niánmài de shūshēng. tā yīshēng qínfèn hàoxué, bó lǎn qúnshū, jīlěi le fēngfù de zhīshì. rán'ér, yóuyú jiā jìng pín hán, tā bùdé bù zhōngrì fú'àn kǔdú, hěn shǎo chūmén. jíshǐ shì línlǐ xiāngqīn de yāoqǐng, tā yě dà duō wǎn jù, zhǐ gù máitóu yú shū hǎi zhī zhōng. xiāngqīn men dōu chēngzàn tā shì yī wèi bóxué duō cái de yǐnshì, tā de míngshēng zài fāngyuán jǐshí lǐ nèi dōu guǎng wéi liúchuán. yītiān, yī wèi niánqīng de shūshēng mùmíng ér lái bàifǎng zhè wèi lǎo xiānshēng. niánqīng de shūshēng míng jiào lǐ bái, tā tīngshuō zhè wèi lǎo xiānshēng xuéshí yuānbó, biàn xiǎng xiàng tā qǐngjiào yīxiē zhìxué zhīdào. lǎo xiānshēng rèqíng de jiēdài le lǐ bái, bìng jiāng tā dài dào zìjǐ de shūfáng. shūfáng lǐ duī mǎn le gè zhǒng shūjí, kōngqì zhōng mí màn zhe dàn dàn de shūxiāng. lǐ bái bèi zhè nóngyù de shūxiāng suǒ xīyǐn, tā rènzhēn de xiàng lǎo xiānshēng qǐngjiào le xǔduō wèntí, lǎo xiānshēng yě yī yī nàixīn jiědá. tāmen tánlùn le shīcí gēfù, tánlùn le tiānwén dìlǐ, tánlùn le rénshēng zhélǐ. zhěng zhěng yītiān, tāmen dōu chénjìn zài zhīshì de hǎiyáng zhōng. lín zǒu shí, lǐ bái yī yī bùshě, tā xiàng lǎo xiānshēng dàobié, bìng biǎoshì zìjǐ yīdìng bù huì wàngjì zhè cì bǎoguì de xuéxí jīhuì. lǎo xiānshēng zé wēixiào zhe mùsòng lǐ bái líqù, tā de xīn lǐ chōngmǎn le xīnwèi. cóngcǐ yǐhòu, zhè wèi lǎo xiānshēng jiù gèngjiā zhuānzhù yú zìjǐ de xuéshù yánjiū, zú bù chū hù, zhídào shēngmìng de jìntóu.

Once upon a time, in a remote mountain village, there lived an elderly scholar. He was diligent and studious all his life, reading widely and accumulating a wealth of knowledge. However, due to his poor family background, he had to spend his days studying hard at his desk, rarely going out. Even invitations from neighbors were mostly declined, as he focused on the world of books. Villagers praised him as a knowledgeable hermit, his reputation spreading for miles around. One day, a young scholar came to visit the old gentleman. The young scholar's name was Li Bai, and he had heard of the old gentleman's vast knowledge, so he wanted to ask him for advice on how to study. The old gentleman received Li Bai warmly and took him to his study. The study was filled with various books, and the air was filled with a faint scent of books. Li Bai was attracted by this rich fragrance, and he carefully asked the old gentleman many questions, which the old gentleman patiently answered. They talked about poetry and songs, astronomy and geography, and the philosophy of life. For a whole day, they were immersed in the ocean of knowledge. Before leaving, Li Bai reluctantly bid farewell to the old gentleman and expressed his gratitude for this valuable learning opportunity. The old gentleman smiled and watched Li Bai leave, his heart filled with comfort. From then on, the old gentleman focused even more on his academic research and remained at home until the end of his life.

Usage

形容不出门，在家不出门。

xióngróng bù chūmén, zài jiā bù chūmén

Describes someone who does not go out of the house.

Examples

• 他自从生病以后，就足不出户了。

  tā zìcóng shēngbìng yǐhòu, jiù zú bù chū hù le

  Since he fell ill, he has not left the house.

• 自从疫情爆发以来，他足不出户，在家办公。

  zìcóng yìqíng bàofā yǐlái, tā zú bù chū hù, zài jiā bàngōng

  Since the outbreak of the epidemic, he has been working from home and hasn't left the house.

• 为了准备考试，他足不出户，埋头苦读

  wèile zhǔnbèi kǎoshì, tā zú bù chū hù, máitóu kǔdú

  In order to prepare for the exam, he stays at home and studies hard

Related Idioms

• 深居简出

• 闭门不出

Opposite Idioms

• 走南闯北

• 四处奔波