听天由命

听天由命

Literally means:

submit to the will of Heaven

Actually means:

be reconciled to one's lot; come to terms with one's fate

It originally means being resigned to one's fate, and now it refers to a "let-it-be" attitude, i.e. leaving something as it is instead of making efforts to strive for the better. It happens because there is nothing that can be done about something, or because one gives up hope and stops making further efforts.

旧时指听凭老天爷和命运的安排。现在指听任事态自然发展，该怎么着就怎么着。听天由命有两种原因，一种是客观上无能为力，另一种是主观上放弃努力。