Chinese word

吃喝玩乐

Pronunciation

Pinyinchī hē wán lè

Meaning

  • verbeat drink and be merry

Example

聚会那晚大家都吃喝玩乐了。jù huì nà wǎn dà jiā dōu chī hē wán lè le

Everyone ate, drank, and had a good time at the party that night.

Illustration for 吃喝玩乐 (eat drink and be merry)

More examples

假期里他们决定尽情吃喝玩乐，暂时不考虑工作。jià qī lǐ tā men jué dìng jìn qíng chī hē wán lè zàn shí bù kǎo lǜ gōng zuò

During the vacation, they decided to eat, drink, and enjoy themselves to their hearts' content and not think about work for a while.

Core concept

A person or group lets ordinary responsibilities fade into the background while filling the time with pleasurable activities.

Common phrases

  • 尽情吃喝玩乐jìn qíng chī hē wán lè

    indulge in eating drinking and having fun

  • 沉迷于吃喝玩乐chén mí yú chī hē wán lè

    be absorbed in eating drinking and having fun

  • 以吃喝玩乐为乐yǐ chī hē wán lè wèi lè

    enjoy eating drinking and having fun

Similar words

放纵fàng zòng: Giving free rein to personal desires or actions.
享受xiǎng shòu: Experiencing and appreciating comfort or pleasure.
玩wán: Taking part in play or other fun activities.
娱乐yú lè: Engaging in activities meant to entertain or amuse.

Definition in Chinese

指放纵地参加饮食和娱乐活动，追求眼前的享乐，常含有忽视责任或节制的意味。zhǐ fàng zòng dì cān jiā yǐn shí hé yú lè huó dòng zhuī qiú yǎn qián de xiǎng lè cháng hán yǒu hū shì zé rèn huò jié zhì de yì wèi

Word origin

吃 (chī, "eat") + 喝 (hē, "drink") + 玩 (wán, "play") + 乐 (lè, "enjoyment") forms a verb-like series whose accumulation suggests a whole lifestyle devoted to immediate enjoyment.

Usage tips

  • The expression is stronger than a neutral comment about having fun because it can suggest excess or a lack of self-control, especially when describing someone's usual way of life.

Other meanings

  • enjoy oneselfverb

Opposites

  • 节制jié zhìexercise restraintverb
  • 克制kè zhìcontrol oneselfverb

Word lists with this word