遗老遗少 yí lǎo yí shào Old and young people who miss the past

Explanation

指对旧时代怀有留恋之情，思想顽固，不愿接受新事物的人。通常用来形容那些在改朝换代或社会巨变后，仍然坚持旧思想旧观念的人。

Refers to people who are nostalgic for the old times, have stubborn thoughts, and are unwilling to accept new things. It is usually used to describe those who still adhere to old thoughts and ideas after a change of dynasty or major social changes.

Origin Story

清朝末年，风雨飘摇，新旧势力交替更迭。老翰林张先生，饱读诗书，却固执己见，对新式学堂、新式武器嗤之以鼻，认为这些都是奇技淫巧，扰乱乾坤。他的孙子，小宝，却对新事物充满了好奇，偷偷跑去学堂听课，还缠着爷爷给他讲西方的故事。爷孙俩为此常常争执不下，小宝不明白爷爷为什么那么抗拒新事物，张先生则认为小宝被新学说迷惑了心智。一天，小宝兴奋地告诉爷爷，他学会了使用照相机，拍下了许多新奇的景象。张先生本想斥责小宝，却鬼使神差地拿起照相机，透过镜头，看到了一个不一样的世界。那一刻，他似乎明白了小宝的热情，也意识到自己或许太过固执。虽然他依然留恋过去的时光，但他开始尝试着去理解、去接受新时代的变化。

Qīng cháo mò nián, fēng yǔ piāoyáo, xīn jiù shì lì jiāotì gēng dié. Lǎo Hànlín zhāng xiānshēng, bǎo dú shī shū, què gùzhí jǐ jiàn, duì xīn shì xuétáng, xīn shì wǔqì chī zhī yǐ bí, rènwéi zhèxiē dōu shì qíjì yínqiǎo, rǎoluàn qián kūn. Tā de sūnzi, xiǎo bǎo, què duì xīn shìwù chōngmǎn le hàoqí, tōutōu pǎo qù xuétáng tīng kè, hái chánzhe yéyei gěi tā jiǎng xīfāng de gùshi. Yé sūn liǎ wèi cǐ chángcháng zhēngzhí bù xià, xiǎo bǎo bù míngbái yéyei wèishénme nàme kàngjù xīn shìwù, zhāng xiānshēng zé rènwéi xiǎo bǎo bèi xīn xuéshuō míhuò le xīnzhì. Yī tiān, xiǎo bǎo xīngfèn de gàosù yéyei, tā xuéhuì le shǐyòng zhàoxiàngjī, pāi xià le xǔduō xīnqí de jǐngxiàng. Zhāng xiānshēng běn xiǎng chìzé xiǎo bǎo, què guǐshǐ shēnchā dì ná qǐ zhàoxiàngjī, tuòguò jìngtòu, kàn dàole yīgè bù yīyàng de shìjiè. Nà yī kè, tā sìhū míngbái le xiǎo bǎo de rèqíng, yě yìshí dào zìjǐ huòxǔ tài guò gùzhí. Suīrán tā yīrán liúlìan guòqù de shíguāng, dàn tā kāishǐ chángshìzhe qù lǐjiě, qù jiēshòu xīn shídài de biànhuà.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the country was in turmoil, with old and new forces changing. The old Hanlin scholar, Mr. Zhang, was well-read but opinionated, and he scoffed at new schools and new weapons, considering them mere gimmicks that disrupted the natural order. His grandson, Xiao Bao, was full of curiosity about new things, secretly attending classes at the school and pestering his grandfather to tell him stories of the West. The two often clashed, with Xiao Bao unable to understand his grandfather’s resistance, while Mr. Zhang believed Xiao Bao was blinded by new ideas. One day, Xiao Bao excitedly told his grandfather that he had learned how to use a camera and had taken pictures of many unusual sights. Mr. Zhang intended to scold Xiao Bao, but impulsively picked up the camera and, through the lens, saw a different world. In that moment, he seemed to understand Xiao Bao's enthusiasm and realized that he might have been too stubborn. Although he still cherished the past, he began to try to understand and accept the changes of the new era.

Usage

用于形容那些思想顽固，不愿接受新事物的人，常用于批评或讽刺的语境。

yòng yú xíngróng nàxiē sīxiǎng wángù, bùyuàn jiēshòu xīn shìwù de rén, cháng yòng yú pīpíng huò fěngcì de yǔjìng.

Used to describe those who are stubborn and unwilling to accept new things, often used in a critical or sarcastic context.

Examples

• 那些遗老遗少们，依旧留恋着过去的美好时光。

  nàxiē yí lǎo yí shào men, yījiù liúlìanzhe guòqù de měihǎo shíguāng。

  Those old and young people still miss the good old days.

• 他对新事物接受能力差，是一个不折不扣的遗老遗少。

  tā duì xīnshíwù jiēshòu nénglì chà, shì yīgè bù zhé bù kòu de yí lǎo yí shào。

  He is an old-fashioned person who is not good at accepting new things

Related Idioms

• 老朽

• 守旧

Opposite Idioms

• 与时俱进

• 开拓创新