人琴俱亡 — “Both the man and his lute have perished”
人琴俱亡 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes the profound sorrow and sense of irreplaceable loss upon the death of a dear friend or loved one, often evoked by seeing their belongings, suggesting that both the person and their essence (like their talent or spirit) are gone”. Literally, “Both the man and his lute have perished”.
人琴俱亡 Pronunciation and Pinyin
人琴俱亡 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 人琴俱亡
Origin and Story of 人琴俱亡
Wang Huizhi and his younger brother Wang Xianzhi shared a profound bond and mutual admiration. Both brothers fell gravely ill, and Wang Xianzhi passed away first. Fearing his elder brother's grief, Wang Huizhi's family concealed the news from him.
Wang Huizhi, worried by the long silence from his brother, eventually asked his family, "How is Zijing (Wang Xianzhi's courtesy name)? Why haven't I heard from him for so long? Has something happened?" His family gave vague answers, unwilling to reveal the truth.
Wang Huizhi finally understood, sorrowfully saying, "It seems Zijing has already passed away! Is that right?" Knowing they could no longer hide it, his family confirmed the news.
Wang Huizhi did not weep loudly, but got off his sickbed and instructed his servants to prepare a carriage to attend the funeral. Upon arriving at Wang Xianzhi's home, Wang Huizhi sat by the bier.
Knowing his brother loved playing the lute, he asked Xianzhi's family, "Bring Zijing's lute." When the lute was brought, Wang Huizhi sat by the bier and tried to play it, reminiscing about their brotherly affection. The more he thought, the sadder he became; he attempted to play several times but couldn't produce a proper melody.
Finally, he lifted the lute and threw it to the ground, sighing, "Zijing! Zijing! Now both the man and his lute are gone!" After this lament, he fainted from overwhelming grief.
A little over a month later, he too passed away.
Idioms Related to 人琴俱亡
Synonyms of 人琴俱亡
More idioms starting with 人
- rén人yī一jǐ己bǎi百make hundredfold effort to catch up
- rén人dīng丁xīng兴wàng旺a flourishing and growing family
- rén人bù不wèi为jǐ己，，tiān天zhū诛dì地miè灭Heaven and Earth condemn the unselfish
- rén人bù不rén人，，guǐ鬼bù不guǐ鬼looking ghastly or grotesque
- rén人bù不kě可mào貌xiàng相Don't judge a person by appearance
- rén人bù不kě可mào貌xiàng相，，hǎi海shuǐ水bù不kě可dǒu斗liáng量Never judge a person by appearance
- rén人bù不fàn犯wǒ我，，wǒ我bù不fàn犯rén人I will not offend unless offended
- rén人bù不zhī知，，guǐ鬼bù不jué觉done in complete secrecy
- rén人bù不liáo聊shēng生people can't make a living
- rén人bù不zì自ān安people are feeling uneasy
- rén人shì世cāng沧sāng桑the vicissitudes of human life
- rén人zhōng中zhī之lóng龙an outstanding person
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Open the tool →Questions about 人琴俱亡
What does 人琴俱亡 mean?
人琴俱亡 (rén qín jù wáng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes the profound sorrow and sense of irreplaceable loss upon the death of a dear friend or loved one, often evoked by seeing their belongings, suggesting that both the person and their essence (like their talent or spirit) are gone”.
How do you pronounce 人琴俱亡?
人琴俱亡 is pronounced rén qín jù wáng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 人琴俱亡 literally mean?
Literally, 人琴俱亡 means “Both the man and his lute have perished”. It is used to mean “describes the profound sorrow and sense of irreplaceable loss upon the death of a dear friend or loved one, often evoked by seeing their belongings, suggesting that both the person and their essence (like their talent or spirit) are gone”.
Where does 人琴俱亡 come from?
人琴俱亡 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 人琴俱亡?
俱：全，都；亡：死去，不存在。形容看到遗物，怀念死者的悲伤心情。