贫无立锥 — “Extremely poor”
贫无立锥 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “extremely poor”. Utterly impoverished; destitute, without a tiny plot of land (literally, not even a space to stand an awl). Literally, “poor without a place to stand an awl”.
贫无立锥 Pronunciation and Pinyin
贫无立锥 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 贫无立锥
Origin and Story of 贫无立锥
During the Spring and Autumn Period, You Meng, an entertainer in the Chu King's palace, learned that the son of the late prime minister Sun Shu'ao was living in extreme poverty after his father's death. Feeling uneasy about this, You Meng dressed in Sun Shu'ao's official robes and cap, imitating his voice and appearance, to meet the King of Chu.
The King was moved by the sight. You Meng then seized the opportunity to recount how Sun Shu'ao's son was utterly destitute, without even a tiny plot of land to stand an awl.
Deeply touched, the King of Chu re-conferred titles and land upon Sun Shu'ao's son.
Idioms Related to 贫无立锥
Synonyms of 贫无立锥
More idioms starting with 贫
- pín贫bù不xué学jiǎn俭Poverty compels frugality
- pín贫bù不xué学jiǎn俭，，fù富bù不xué学shē奢Poverty teaches frugality, wealth teaches extravagance
- pín贫ér儿pù曝fù富poor person flaunting wealth
- pín贫zuǐ嘴è恶shé舌sharp-tongued and unpleasant
- pín贫zuǐ嘴huá滑shé舌garrulous and sharp-tongued
- pín贫zuǐ嘴bó薄shé舌garrulous and sharp-tongued
- pín贫zuǐ嘴jiàn贱shé舌offensively talkative and sarcastic
- pín贫zuǐ嘴è饿shé舌excessively talkative and annoying
- pín贫kùn困liáo潦dǎo倒impoverished and dejected
- pín贫shì士shì市guā瓜judge people by outward appearance
- pín贫fù富bù不jūn均uneven distribution of wealth
- pín贫fù富xuán悬shū殊wide gap between rich and poor
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Open the tool →Questions about 贫无立锥
What does 贫无立锥 mean?
贫无立锥 (pín wú lì zhuī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “extremely poor”.
How do you pronounce 贫无立锥?
贫无立锥 is pronounced pín wú lì zhuī in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 贫无立锥 literally mean?
Literally, 贫无立锥 means “poor without a place to stand an awl”. It is used to mean “extremely poor”.
Where does 贫无立锥 come from?
贫无立锥 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 贫无立锥?
穷得连插下锥子那样小的地方都没有。