Chinese idiom · 成语
乐不思蜀
Meaning
To be so content as to forget one’s roots or duties.
Character by character
Origin and story
Historical anecdoteThe episode comes from Xi Zuochi’s Han Jin Chunqiu (漢晉春秋), quoted in Pei Songzhi’s commentary on Liu Shan’s biography in Sanguo Zhi (三國志). After Shu falls, Liu Shan attends a banquet with Sima Zhao. Entertainment from his former homeland saddens those around him, while he remains cheerful. Asked later whether he misses Shu, he says that he is happy where he is and does not.
His former official Xi Zheng coaches him to express longing for his ancestors’ graves. When Liu Shan repeats this answer, Sima Zhao recognizes the coaching, and Liu Shan admits it. This is how the anecdote portrays him; it does not establish his private motives. Modern use often playfully describes enjoying a visit so much that one forgets to go home.
In everyday life
孩子们在外婆家玩得乐不思蜀，连回家的时间都忘了。
The children were having such fun at their grandmother’s that they forgot it was time to go home.
Playful here; it need not imply political disloyalty or a serious abandonment of duty.