四海为家

sì hǎi wéi jiā

  • Meaning

    Literal

    The whole world is one's home

    Usage

    To drift about from place to place; to make home out of wherever one is

  • Connotation

    Neutral

  • Usage Examples

    作为一个考古学家，四海为家那是经常的事儿 | Zuòwéi yīgè kǎogǔ xué jiā, sìhǎi wéi jiā nà shì jīngcháng de shì'er
    As an archaeologist, making myself at home in various places is commonplace
    [Source]

    这个乞丐居无定所，四海为家，真是可怜 | Zhège qǐgài jū wú dìng suǒ, sìhǎi wéi jiā, zhēnshi kělián
    This beggar is homeless and roams all around. It's very sad.
    [Source]

  • Equivalents

    English

    None

    Chinese

    None

  • Entry Notes

    四海 (sì hǎi) means "the whole world" or "the whole country"

  • Origin

    《汉书》(Hàn Shū), a work documenting the history of the Western Han dynasty (西汉, Xī Hàn, 206 BC - 8 AD). It was written by 班固 (Bān Gù), and is generally known in English as the "Book of Han" or the "History of the Former Han."

  • Story

    This chengyu is from a line in the work listed in the "Origin" section above

  • Citations and Helpful Resources

    • 汉语成语小词典 (hànyǔ chéngyǔ xiǎo cídiǎn)
    • 现代汉语规范词典 (xiàndài hànyǔ guīfàn cídiǎn)
    • 多功能成语词典 (duō gōngnéng chéngyǔ cídiǎn)
    • 汉语大词典 (hànyǔ dà cídiǎn)
    • ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary
    • Pleco Basic Chinese-English Dictionary
    • 百度百科[x]