Chinese idiom · 成语
声色犬马
Meaning
Music, beauty, dogs, and horses; indulgence in pleasures.
Character by character
Origin and story
Literary expressionThe four nouns gather familiar elite pleasures into one disapproving list: music, sensual beauty, dogs, and horses. They stand for a life devoted to gratification rather than responsible work. A related form, 聲色狗馬, occurs in the Suishu (隋書), volume 59, when the biography of Yang Jian, Prince of Qi, describes his indulgent behavior and the men he sends to seek amusements.
The exact 犬 form is attested in Sui Tang Yanyi (隋唐演義), chapter 93, in a warning about luxury attracting covetous eyes. These are literary and historical uses of a collective image, not one self-contained adventure. Modern use criticizes extravagant pleasure-seeking; it does not condemn ordinary music or pet ownership.
In everyday life
他不愿把生活耗在声色犬马之中，决定少应酬、多陪家人。
He didn't want to waste his life on indulgent entertainment, so he decided to socialize less and spend more time with family.
Strongly disapproving; means excessive pleasure-seeking, not simply enjoying leisure.