及时行乐
jí shí xíng lè
to enjoy life while one can; to live for the moment
Character by character
及jí
reach
reach
时shí
time
time
行xíng
make
make
乐lè
merry
merry
Example
他觉得人生苦短，应该及时行乐，工资一到手就去旅游。
He feels life is short and should be enjoyed while you can, so he goes travelling the moment he is paid.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
The idea goes back to the Han-era Nineteen Old Poems (为乐当及时, “take your pleasure while there is time”). It used to be mainly critical, of pleasure-seekers who ignore tomorrow; today it is often neutral, and set against saving for the future (未雨绸缪, 2-1).
Learn this in Lesson 189 · HSK 7–9: 先花后还 (Spend now, pay later)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
Open the lesson →