What does it mean that rice is expensive in Chang'an and it is not easy to live in a big city?

"Chang'an rice is expensive, but living there is not easy" describes the high prices in big cities. It means that it was originally a joke by the Tang Dynasty poet Gu Kuang after Bai Juyi. The latter is a metaphor for living in a big city, where life is not easy to maintain.

Pronunciation: jū dà bù yì

Usage: As a predicate, it means that living life is not easy.

Source: From "Youxian Advocacy" by Zhang Gu in the Tang Dynasty, "The price of rice is relatively expensive, and it is not easy to live in the capital." (Translation: The price of rice is relatively expensive, and it is not easy to live in the capital.)

Extended information:

The idiom "rice in Chang'an is expensive, and living in a big city is difficult" is related to Bai Juyi, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty. Bai Juyi was very talented when he was a child and was deeply appreciated by people around him. There are two ways for talented people in ancient times to obtain fame: one is to wait for the examination, that is, to pass the provincial examination, examination, etc., and finally be named on the gold list; the other is to meet the celebrities or ministers at that time, as long as they get their With recognition, you can also get the opportunity to be recommended.

When Bai Juyi was sixteen years old, he traveled from Jiangnan to Chang'an, the capital, in order to take the exam. Since it had become a custom for candidates taking exams to visit ministers and celebrities at that time, Bai Juyi also brought his poems to pay homage to Gu Kuang, a famous celebrity. When Gu Kuang saw the name "Bai Juyi", he jokingly said to Bai Juyi: "Chang'an is expensive, so living there is not easy." When he looked through the poem manuscript, Gu Kuang couldn't help but cheered and said, "It's possible to make such a valuable work." With his literary talents, it is not difficult to live in Chang'an!"

From then on, Bai Juyi became famous in one fell swoop. Later, Bai Juyi wrote many very good and popular poems and became a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty. The joke Gu Kuang told him - "Chang'an rice is expensive" has also been passed down and has become a special idiom for future generations to describe the high prices in big cities.