轻装简从 qīng zhuāng jiǎn cóng travel light

Explanation

指行装简便，随从人少。形容旅途轻松便捷。

It means simple luggage and few attendants. It describes a relaxed and convenient journey.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，一位名叫李白的诗人，游历名山大川，他向往着自由自在的生活，不喜欢繁文缛节和拘束。每次出行，他总是轻装简从，只带几件换洗的衣物和必要的文房四宝。他常独自一人或与一两个知己好友同行，一路欣赏着大好河山，吟诗作赋，感受着自然的美好。他这种轻装简从的旅行方式，让他更加贴近自然，也让他能够更加专注于创作。许多脍炙人口的诗篇，都是他在这种轻松自在的旅途中创作出来的。有一次，他与好友杜甫一同前往终南山游玩。杜甫生性谨慎，出行前准备了大量的行李，带了很多仆人和保镖，一行人浩浩荡荡，非常壮观。李白看到这一幕，哈哈大笑，说道：“杜兄，你这是何苦呢？人生苦短，何必让这些俗事扰乱了自己的心情呢？你看我，轻装简从，多自在啊！”杜甫听后，若有所思，自此之后，他出行时也开始效仿李白的做法，减少了行李，也更加轻松愉快了。

huà shuō táng cháo shíqī, yī wèi míng jiào lǐ bái de shī rén, yóulì míng shān dà chuān, tā xiàng wǎng zhe zìyóu zìzài de shēnghuó, bù xǐhuan fánwénrùjié hé jūshù. měi cì chūxíng, tā zǒng shì qīng zhuāng jiǎn cóng, zhǐ dài jǐ jiàn huàn xǐ de yīwù hé bìyào de wénfáng sìbǎo. tā cháng dúzì yīrén huò yǔ yī liǎng gè zhījǐ hǎoyǒu tóngxíng, yīlù xīnshǎng zhe dà hǎo héshān, yín shī zuò fù, gǎnshòu zhe zìrán de měihǎo. tā zhè zhǒng qīng zhuāng jiǎn cóng de lǚxíng fāngshì, ràng tā gèng jiā tiē jìn zìrán, yě ràng tā nénggòu gèng jiā zhuānzhū yú chuàngzuò. xǔduō kuài zhì rénkǒu de shīpiān, dōu shì tā zài zhè zhǒng qīngsōng zìzài de lǚtú zhōng chuàngzuò chū lái de. yǒu yī cì, tā yǔ hǎoyǒu dù fǔ yītóng qiánwǎng zhōngnán shān yóuwán. dù fǔ shēngxìng jǐnshèn, chūxíng qián zhǔnbèi le dàliàng de xíngli, dài le hěn duō pún hé bǎobiǎo, yīxíng rén hàohàodàngdàng, fēicháng zhuàngguān. lǐ bái kàndào zhè yìmù, hā hā dàxiào, shuōdào: "dù xiōng, nǐ shì hé kǔ ne? rénshēng kǔ duǎn, hé bì ràng zhèxiē súshì rǎoluàn le zìjǐ de xīnqíng ne? nǐ kàn wǒ, qīng zhuāng jiǎn cóng, duō zìzài a!" dù fǔ tīng hòu, ruò yǒu suǒ sī, zì cǐ zhīhòu, tā chūxíng shí yě kāishǐ xiàofǎng lǐ bái de zuòfǎ, jiǎnshǎo le xíngli, yě gèng jiā qīngsōng yúkuài le.

It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, a poet named Li Bai traveled to famous mountains and rivers. He yearned for a free and unrestrained life and disliked red tape and constraints. Every time he traveled, he always traveled light, bringing only a few changes of clothes and essential writing tools. He often traveled alone or with one or two close friends, admiring the beautiful scenery along the way, composing poems, and appreciating the beauty of nature. This way of traveling light allowed him to be closer to nature and to focus more on his creation. Many popular poems were created during these relaxed and comfortable journeys. Once, he traveled with his friend Du Fu to Mount Zhongnan. Du Fu was cautious by nature, and before the trip he prepared a lot of luggage and brought many servants and bodyguards. The group was very large and impressive. Li Bai laughed and said, "Brother Du, why do you bother? Life is short. Why let these mundane things disturb your mood? Look at me, I'm traveling light, how carefree I am!" Du Fu thought for a while, and from then on he began to emulate Li Bai's way of traveling, reducing his luggage and becoming more relaxed and happy.

Usage

常用来形容旅行或出行的简便状态，也比喻做事不铺张浪费。

cháng yòng lái xiáoróng lǚxíng huò chūxíng de jiǎnbiàn zhuàngtài, yě bǐyù zuòshì bù pūzhāng làngfèi.

Often used to describe the simple and convenient state of travel, but also to illustrate the avoidance of extravagance and wastefulness in one's actions.

Examples

• 这次出行，我们决定轻装简从，只带必要的行李。

  zhè cì chūxíng, wǒmen juédìng qīng zhuāng jiǎn cóng, zhǐ dài bìyào de xíngli.

  For this trip, we decided to travel light, bringing only necessary luggage.

• 为了快速到达目的地，他们选择轻装简从，减少了不必要的负担。

  wèile kuàisù dàodá mùdìdì, tāmen xuǎnzé qīng zhuāng jiǎn cóng, jiǎnshǎole bù bìyào de fùdān

  To reach their destination quickly, they chose to travel light, reducing unnecessary burdens.

Related Idioms

• 轻车简从

• 简便

Opposite Idioms

• 负重前行

• 大张旗鼓