避难趋易 bì nán qū yì avoid difficulties and seek ease

Explanation

指避开困难的而拣容易的做。

To avoid difficulties and choose the easy way.

Origin Story

从前，在一个小山村里，住着一位勤劳的农夫老张。他家的田地虽然不多，但他总是认真耕作，即使遇到旱涝虫灾等困难，他也不轻易放弃。村里还有另外一位农夫老李，他则不然，总是喜欢选择容易耕种的田地，遇到困难就躲避，遇到稍微麻烦的事情，他就想办法逃避，从不付出额外努力，只想轻轻松松地过日子。结果，老张家年年粮食丰收，日子越过越好，而老李家却常常颗粒无收，生活非常艰难。有一天，老张和老李一起到集市上卖粮食，老李看到老张卖粮的收入比自己高很多，心里非常羡慕。他问老张：“你家的田地并不比我的多，为什么你的收成这么好？”老张笑了笑，说道：“种地就像做人一样，不能总想着避难趋易，遇到困难就退缩。只有迎难而上，才能取得好收成。”老李听后，若有所思。

cóng qián, zài yīgè xiǎoshān cūn lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi qínláo de nóngfū lǎo zhāng. tā jiā de tiándì suīrán bù duō, dàn tā zǒngshì rènzhēn gēngzuò, jíshǐ yùdào hàn lào chóngzāi děng kùnnan, tā yě bù qīngyì fàngqì. cūn lǐ hái yǒu lìng yī wèi nóngfū lǎo lǐ, tā zé bùrán, zǒngshì xǐhuan xuǎnzé róngyì gēngzhòng de tiándì, yùdào kùnnan jiù duǒbì, yùdào shāowēi máfan de shìqíng, tā jiù xiǎng bànfǎ táobì, cóng bù fùchū éwài nǔlì, zhǐ xiǎng qīngqīngsōngsōng de guò rìzi. jiéguǒ, lǎo zhāng jiā niánnián liángshi fēngshōu, rìzi yuè guò yuè hǎo, ér lǎo lǐ jiā què chángcháng kèlí wú shōu, shēnghuó fēicháng jiānnán. yǒuyītiān, lǎo zhāng hé lǎo lǐ yīqǐ dào jìshì shàng mài liángshi, lǎo lǐ kàn dào lǎo zhāng mài liáng de shōurù bǐ zìjǐ gāo hěn duō, xīn lǐ fēicháng xiànmù. tā wèn lǎo zhāng: ‘nǐ jiā de tiándì bìng bù bǐ wǒ de duō, wèishénme nǐ de shōuchéng zhème hǎo?’ lǎo zhāng xiàole xiào, shuōdào: ‘zhòng dì jiù xiàng zuò rén yīyàng, bùnéng zǒng xiǎngzhe bì nán qū yì, yùdào kùnnan jiù tuìsuō. zhǐyǒu yíng nán ér shàng, cáinéng qǔdé hǎo shōuchéng.’ lǎo lǐ tīng hòu, ruò yǒu suǒ sī.

Once upon a time, in a small mountain village, there lived a hardworking farmer named Lao Zhang. Although his land was not large, he always worked diligently, and even when faced with difficulties such as drought, floods, or pests, he never gave up easily. Another farmer in the village, Lao Li, was different. He always chose easy-to-cultivate land and avoided difficulties whenever possible. When faced with minor problems, he would find ways to evade them, never putting in extra effort and always seeking an easy life. As a result, Lao Zhang's family had a bountiful harvest every year, and their lives improved steadily. Lao Li's family, however, often had little to no harvest and lived in great hardship. One day, Lao Zhang and Lao Li went to the market together to sell their grain. Lao Li saw that Lao Zhang's income was much higher than his, and he felt very envious. He asked Lao Zhang, "Your field isn't bigger than mine, so why is your harvest so good?" Lao Zhang smiled and said, "Farming is like life. You can't always try to avoid difficulties and retreat when faced with them. Only by facing challenges head-on can you achieve a good harvest." Lao Li pondered this thoughtfully.

Usage

多用于批评人做事偷懒，不求上进。

duō yòng yú pīpíng rén zuò shì tōu lǎn, bù qiú shàngjìn

Often used to criticize people for being lazy and not striving for progress.

Examples

• 他总是避难趋易，不愿承担责任。

  tā zǒngshì bì nán qū yì, bù yuàn chéngdān zérèn.

  He always avoids difficulties and seeks ease, unwilling to take responsibility.

• 学习中要勇于克服困难，不能避难趋易。

  xuéxí zhōng yào yǒngyú kèfú kùnnan, bùnéng bì nán qū yì.

  In learning, we must be brave enough to overcome difficulties and not shy away from them.

• 面对挑战，我们不能避难趋易，而应该迎难而上。

  miàn duì tiǎozhàn, wǒmen bùnéng bì nán qū yì, ér yīnggāi yíng nán ér shàng

  In the face of challenges, we should not avoid difficulties but should meet them head-on.

Related Idioms

• 避难就易

• 偷懒

Opposite Idioms

• 迎难而上

• 奋勇当先