尸居余气 — “To be barely clinging to life, on the verge of death”
尸居余气 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be barely clinging to life, on the verge of death”. Or to be utterly lethargic, inactive, and spiritless, showing no vitality or initiative. Literally, “Corpse-like dwelling with residual breath”.
尸居余气 Pronunciation and Pinyin
尸居余气 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 尸居余气
Origin and Story of 尸居余气
In the later period of the Three Kingdoms, after the 8-year-old Cao Fang ascended the throne, the imperial court was jointly controlled by Sima Yi and Cao Shuang. Cao Shuang seized the opportunity to expand his faction.
Sima Yi, however, deliberately pretended to ignore state affairs, covertly monitoring Cao Shuang's moves.
Li Sheng, a member of Cao Shuang's faction, went to Sima Yi's residence to probe his true condition. Sima Yi feigned a state of being barely alive, appearing utterly lethargic and spiritless.
This deception caused Cao Shuang to relax his guard, and not long after, Sima Yi swiftly eliminated Cao Shuang and his entire faction.
Idioms Related to 尸居余气
Synonyms of 尸居余气
Antonyms of 尸居余气
More idioms starting with 尸
- shī尸wèi位bìng病mín民hold office without performing duties, harming people
- shī尸wèi位sù素cān餐hold a post without performing duties
- shī尸lì利sù素cān餐hold a position without performing duties
- shī尸jū居lóng龙xiàn见still like a corpse, dynamic like a dragon
- shī尸shān山xuè血hǎi海immense slaughter and bloodshed
- shī尸héng横biàn遍yě野bodies strewn across the landscape
- shī尸lù禄hài害zhèng政holding a position without performing duties
- shī尸lù禄sù素shí食draw a salary without performing duties
- shī尸lù禄sù素cān飡hold a post without discharging duties
- shī尸lù禄sù素cān餐idle officeholder living off the public purse
- shī尸gǔ骨wèi未hán寒someone has only just died
- shī尸jiū鸠zhī之rén仁Impartial benevolence to all
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Open the tool →Questions about 尸居余气
What does 尸居余气 mean?
尸居余气 (shī jū yú qì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be barely clinging to life, on the verge of death”.
How do you pronounce 尸居余气?
尸居余气 is pronounced shī jū yú qì in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 尸居余气 literally mean?
Literally, 尸居余气 means “Corpse-like dwelling with residual breath”. It is used to mean “to be barely clinging to life, on the verge of death”.
Where does 尸居余气 come from?
尸居余气 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 尸居余气?
余气：最后一口气。象尸体一样但还有一口气，指人将要死亡。也比喻人暮气沉沉，无所作为。