Chinese Idiom: 聊胜于无 (Liao Sheng Yu Wu)
English Translation: Slightly better than nothing
pīn yīn: liáo shèng yú wú
Idiom Meaning: Indicates that having something is slightly better than having nothing at all.
Historical Source: From Tao Yuanming’s poem 和刘柴桑 (Responding to Liu Chaisang) during the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Idiom Story:
This poem was composed around the tenth year of the Yixi era (AD 414) when Tao Yuanming was fifty years old. Liu Chaisang refers to Liu Yimin, a hermit. According to The Biography of Tao Yuanming by Xiao Tong, “At that time, Zhou Xuzhi had entered Mount Lushan to serve under Master Hu Yuan, and Pengcheng’s Liu Yimin also retreated to Lushan. Yuanming did not respond to invitations, leading to the term ‘The Three Recluses of Xunyang.'”
Liu Yimin likely had previously sent a poem inviting Tao Yuanming to retreat to Mount Lushan, and this poem serves as a response. Although it is titled a response, the entire poem primarily reflects Tao’s own experiences after returning to his farm, where he lived a self-sufficient life, distancing himself from worldly affairs and finding solace in drinking.
The poem contains twenty lines, and here is a summary of its meaning:
Liu Yimin had long sent poetry inviting me to retreat to Lushan, so why am I hesitant to go? It is only because I cannot bear to leave my friends and family. I only hope for a good day to return to the West Lushan with my staff. The roads in the war-torn countryside are overgrown with wild grass, and everywhere there are ruins of destroyed houses. I have repaired my thatched cottage, and now I should manage new fields. Although the east wind feels chilly, the spring wine can relieve fatigue. This wine, though not exquisite, is better than nothing at all! Alas, as time goes by, I become increasingly distant from worldly matters. As long as I can farm and weave enough to sustain myself, what more do I need? After a hundred years, both my body and name will fade away, so why bother with material possessions?
Later, the phrase “慰情聊胜无” (To soothe the mind is slightly better than nothing) was simplified and generalized into the idiom “聊胜于无,” symbolizing that even a little something can bring comfort and is preferable to having nothing.
