知足常乐

zhī zú cháng lè

contentment is happiness; be happy with what you have

Character by character

知zhī
know

足zú
enough

常cháng
always

乐lè
happy

我奶奶一辈子知足常乐，有饭吃、有地方住，她就觉得很幸福。

My grandmother was content all her life: as long as she had food and a roof over her head, she felt happy.

Tone: positive (praise).

Goes back to the Laozi (知足之足，常足矣). Said in comfort or as advice to oneself and others; it can also sound like an excuse for 不思进取 (lacking drive).

Learn this in Lesson 252 · HSK 9+: 林语堂《吾国与吾民》 (Lin Yutang’s My Country and My People)

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.