Chinese idiom · 成语
随遇而安
Meaning
Content with any situation; adaptable ease.
Character by character
Origin and story
Literary anecdoteIn Huihong's Song collection Shimen Wenzi Chan, an essay explains Li Defu's study, named the Boat Studio because its connected rooms resembled the inside of a boat. A visitor wonders how Li can combine an official's ambitions with a taste for reclusion. Li answers through an extended metaphor: ethical commitments are his waters, and being at ease wherever he lodges is his boat.
The passage uses wording about accepting whatever dwelling one has, with yu written 寓. The later idiom uses 遇, one's encountered circumstances. It commonly praises adaptability and composure, though context can also make it a criticism of complacency.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
出差住的房间虽然很小，她却随遇而安，很快就收拾好了。
The room on her business trip was small, but she took it in stride and soon made herself comfortable.
Often positive adaptability; can mean complacency in a critical context.