noun
free and unhurried life away from the world
A yojijukugo describing a life of leisure and freedom, like a drifting cloud or a wild crane, untroubled by worldly affairs. Often used in literary or poetic contexts.
退職後は閑雲野鶴の生活を送りたい。
After retirement, I want to live a free and unhurried life away from the world.
彼は都会を離れ、閑雲野鶴の境地を楽しんでいる。
He left the city and is enjoying a state of mind like a drifting cloud and wild crane.
悠悠自適 also means a carefree, leisurely life, but emphasizes self-contentment and living at one's own pace, while 閑雲野鶴 evokes a more poetic image of natural freedom and detachment from society.
A yojijukugo composed of 閑 (leisure), 雲 (cloud), 野 (field), and 鶴 (crane). The phrase evokes the image of a cloud drifting freely and a crane living in the wild, symbolizing a life unbound by worldly concerns. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a classical Chinese-derived expression.