樂天知命

Chinese

		to happily follow Heaven's decree; to be carefree; to be happy-go-lucky to happily follow Heaven's decree; to be carefree; to be happy-go-lucky; to be optimistic	age of fifty; to understand the Decree of Heaven; to know destiny
trad. (樂天知命)		樂天	知命
simp. (乐天知命)		乐天	知命

Etymology

From I Ching:

旁行而不流，樂天知命，故不憂。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

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旁行而不流，乐天知命，故不忧。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: I Ching, 11^th – 8^th century BCE

Páng xíng ér bù liú, yuètiānzhīmìng, gù bù yōu. [Pinyin]

He acts according to the exigency of circumstances without being carried away by their current; he rejoices in Heaven and knows its ordinations; - and hence he has no anxieties.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): lètiānzhīmìng

  (Zhuyin): ㄌㄜˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄓ ㄇㄧㄥˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): lok⁶ tin¹ zi¹ ming⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: lètiānzhīmìng
    • Zhuyin: ㄌㄜˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄓ ㄇㄧㄥˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: lètianjhihmìng
    • Wade–Giles: lê⁴-tʻien¹-chih¹-ming⁴
    • Yale: lè-tyān-jr̄-mìng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: lehtianjyminq
    • Palladius: лэтяньчжимин (lɛtjanʹčžimin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɤ⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ miŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: lok⁶ tin¹ zi¹ ming⁶
    • Yale: lohk tīn jī mihng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: lok⁹ tin¹ dzi¹ ming⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: log⁶ tin¹ ji¹ ming⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɔːk̚² tʰiːn⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ mɪŋ²²/

Idiom

樂天知命

1. to be optimistic and content with life