丧家之狗 — “A person who has lost their support”
丧家之狗 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a person who has lost their support”. Home, or direction, often feeling utterly lost, helpless, and in a state of panic or despair, much like a stray dog. Literally, “A dog that has lost its home; a stray dog”.
丧家之狗 Pronunciation and Pinyin
丧家之狗 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 丧家之狗
Origin and Story of 丧家之狗
During the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius led his disciples to various vassal states to give lectures. However, as Confucius held conservative views, which were out of sync with the prevailing contention for hegemony among the states, he often received a cold reception.
Once, Confucius became separated from his disciples. He stood by the East Gate, looking lost in thought.
Zigong asked a person from Zheng where Confucius was. The Zheng person replied, 'By the East Gate, there's an old man who looks like a stray dog, staring blankly.'
Idioms Related to 丧家之狗
Synonyms of 丧家之狗
Antonyms of 丧家之狗
More idioms starting with 丧
- sàng丧lún伦bài败xíng行abandon human relations and corrupt conduct
- sàng丧tiān天hài害lǐ理commit outrageous and immoral acts
- sàng丧shī失dài殆jìn尽utterly lost or depleted
- sàng丧jìn尽tiān天liáng良utterly devoid of conscience
- sàng丧shī师rǔ辱guó国lose army, disgrace nation
- sàng丧xīn心bìng病kuáng狂utterly depraved, irrational, and frenzied
- sàng丧míng明zhī之tòng痛profound sorrow of losing a child
- sàng丧quán权rǔ辱guó国forfeit rights and disgrace the nation
- sàng丧qì气guǐ鬼a killjoy or gloomy person
- sàng丧dǎn胆wáng亡hún魂scared out of one's wits
- sàng丧dǎn胆xiāo消hún魂scared out of one's wits
Recommended tools
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →Questions about 丧家之狗
What does 丧家之狗 mean?
丧家之狗 (sàng jiā zhī gǒu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a person who has lost their support”.
How do you pronounce 丧家之狗?
丧家之狗 is pronounced sàng jiā zhī gǒu in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 丧家之狗 literally mean?
Literally, 丧家之狗 means “a dog that has lost its home; a stray dog”. It is used to mean “a person who has lost their support”.
Where does 丧家之狗 come from?
丧家之狗 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 丧家之狗?
比喻失去依靠、无处投奔或惊慌失措的人。