罗雀掘鼠 — “Netting sparrows and digging for rats”
罗雀掘鼠 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to resort to catching birds and digging for rats to find food (originally); later, to go to great lengths and explore every possible avenue to raise funds or secure resources during a dire situation”. Literally, “netting sparrows and digging for rats”.
罗雀掘鼠 Pronunciation and Pinyin
罗雀掘鼠 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 罗雀掘鼠
Origin and Story of 罗雀掘鼠
During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the An Lushan Rebellion broke out. In 757, An Lushan's son, An Qingxu, dispatched his general Yin Ziqi to besiege Suiyang City. The city's defender, Zhang Xun, vowed to resist to the death.
With General Nan Jiyun unable to bring reinforcements and the city's food supplies depleted, Zhang Xun and his troops resorted to desperate measures. They set nets to catch sparrows and dug into rat holes to find any remaining scraps of food. They endured valiantly, defending the city for over three months under these extremely harsh conditions.
Idioms Related to 罗雀掘鼠
More idioms starting with 罗
- luó罗zhī之yī一mù目A single part of a whole
- luó罗jué掘yī一kōng空exhaust all resources
- luó罗jué掘jù俱qióng穷exhausted all means of raising funds
- luó罗fū敷yǒu有fū夫A woman who is already married
- luó罗màn曼dì蒂kè克romantic, idealized love
- luó罗zhī织gòu构xiàn陷frame someone with false charges
- luó罗zhī织zuì罪míng名fabricate false charges
- luó罗lǚ缕jì纪cún存meticulously record and preserve
- luó罗qián钳jí吉wǎng网Cruelly frame and persecute
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Open the tool →Questions about 罗雀掘鼠
What does 罗雀掘鼠 mean?
罗雀掘鼠 (luó què jué shǔ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to resort to catching birds and digging for rats to find food (originally); later, to go to great lengths and explore every possible avenue to raise funds or secure resources during a dire situation”.
How do you pronounce 罗雀掘鼠?
罗雀掘鼠 is pronounced luó què jué shǔ in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 罗雀掘鼠 literally mean?
Literally, 罗雀掘鼠 means “netting sparrows and digging for rats”. It is used to mean “to resort to catching birds and digging for rats to find food (originally); later, to go to great lengths and explore every possible avenue to raise funds or secure resources during a dire situation”.
Where does 罗雀掘鼠 come from?
罗雀掘鼠 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 罗雀掘鼠?
原指张网捉麻雀、挖洞捉老鼠来充饥的窘困情况，后比喻想尽办法筹措财物。