含饴弄孙
hán yí nòng sūn
to enjoy a quiet old age with one’s grandchildren
Character by character
含hán
hold in mouth
hold in mouth
饴yí
malt sweet
malt sweet
弄nòng
play with
play with
孙sūn
grandchild
grandchild
Example
退休以后，他每天含饴弄孙，日子过得很快乐。
Since retiring he has spent his days playing with his grandchildren, and he is very happy.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
From the 后汉书: the Empress Dowager Ma said that from now on she would just suck sweets and play with her grandsons, and no longer meddle in government. Bookish; it pictures a contented, carefree retirement.
Learn this in Lesson 71 · HSK 6: 银发经济与延迟退休 (The silver economy and later retirement)
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