日暮途穷 — “At dusk”
日暮途穷 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “at dusk”. The road ends. It metaphorically describes being in an extremely difficult or desperate situation, reaching the end of one's tether, or being utterly destitute. Literally, “Dusk, and the path ends”.
日暮途穷 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 日rì
- 暮mù
- 途tú
- 穷qióng
日暮途穷 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 日暮途穷
Origin and Story of 日暮途穷
During the Warring States period, Prince Jian of Chu had two tutors: Wu She and Fei Wuji. Fei Wuji, favored by King Ping of Chu, feared that the prince would harm him after ascending the throne, so he falsely accused the prince. Unexpectedly, King Ping believed him and transferred the prince to the border.
Still uneasy, Fei Wuji worried the prince might seek revenge. Therefore, he imprisoned Wu She and sent assassins to kill the prince. The ruthless Fei Wuji was not satisfied. Remembering Wu She had two sons, he then arranged for Wu She and his elder son to be killed.
Only Wu She's younger son, Wu Yuan (later known as Wu Zixu), managed to escape. King Ping, believing Fei Wuji's lies, considered Wu Yuan a traitor and ordered his capture. To escape, Wu Yuan's hair and beard turned white overnight.
Later, he fled to the State of Wu, where he assisted the King of Wu, advising him to attack Chu. After five wars, they finally reached the capital of Chu. By then, King Ping was already dead. To avenge his father and elder brother, Wu Yuan exhumed King Ping's body and personally flogged it.
When Wu Yuan's old friend learned of this, he rebuked him. A sorrowful Wu Yuan replied, "I am like a traveler whose day is ending, yet the road ahead is still long and arduous. That is why I would do things that go against conventional wisdom."
Idioms Related to 日暮途穷
Antonyms of 日暮途穷
More idioms starting with 日
- rì日shàng上sān三gān竿It's late morning, time to get up
- rì日xià下wú无shuāng双Unparalleled in the capital
- rì日bù不wǒ我yǔ与Time waits for no one
- rì日bù不xiá暇jǐ给too busy to spare time
- rì日bù不yí移yǐng影in an instant
- rì日bù不yí移guǐ晷in an instant
- rì日dōng东yuè月xī西separated by a great distance
- rì日zhōng中wéi为shì市market at noon
- rì日zhōng中zé则zè昃What goes up must come down
- rì日zhōng中zé则zè昃，，yuè月mǎn满zé则kuī亏What goes up must come down
- rì日zhōng中zé则zè昃，，yuè月yíng盈zé则shí食Things decline after reaching their peak
- rì日zhōng中zé则yí移at peak, things decline
Questions about 日暮途穷
- What does 日暮途穷 mean?
- 日暮途穷 (rì mù tú qióng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “at dusk”.
- How do you pronounce 日暮途穷?
- 日暮途穷 is pronounced rì mù tú qióng in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 日暮途穷 literally mean?
- Literally, 日暮途穷 means “Dusk, and the path ends”. It is used to mean “at dusk”.
- Where does 日暮途穷 come from?
- 日暮途穷 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 日暮途穷?
- 暮：傍晚；途：路。天已晚了，路已走到了尽头。比喻处境十分困难，到了末日。也形容穷困到极点。