釜中生鱼 — “Fish growing in the cauldron”
釜中生鱼 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be so poor that one has nothing to cook, implying long-term destitution; extreme poverty”. Literally, “Fish growing in the cauldron”.
釜中生鱼 Pronunciation and Pinyin
釜中生鱼 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 釜中生鱼
Origin and Story of 釜中生鱼
During the Han Dynasty, Fan Ran was persecuted by the eunuch faction and forced to abandon his official post.
He then traveled around with his wife in a deer-drawn cart, often resting under trees when they had no money for lodging.
After more than ten years, he finally built a thatched hut, frequently running out of food and surviving by eating wild vegetables.
His fellow villagers would mock him, saying, 'Dust grows in Fan Shiyun's steamer, and fish grow in Fan Laiwu's cauldron.'
Idioms Related to 釜中生鱼
Synonyms of 釜中生鱼
More idioms starting with 釜
- fǔ釜zhōng中zhī之yú鱼doomed to imminent death or failure
- fǔ釜zhōng中yóu游yú鱼doomed person or thing
- fǔ釜zhōng中shēng生chén尘extremely poor, cooking pot unused
- fǔ釜dǐ底chōu抽xīn薪remove the cause of trouble
- fǔ釜dǐ底yóu游hún魂barely clinging to life
- fǔ釜dǐ底yóu游yú鱼in a desperate, inescapable situation
- fǔ釜yú鱼mù幕yàn燕in imminent peril
- fǔ釜yú鱼zèng甑chén尘live in extreme poverty
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Open the tool →Questions about 釜中生鱼
What does 釜中生鱼 mean?
釜中生鱼 (fǔ zhōng shēng yú) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be so poor that one has nothing to cook, implying long-term destitution; extreme poverty”.
How do you pronounce 釜中生鱼?
釜中生鱼 is pronounced fǔ zhōng shēng yú in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 釜中生鱼 literally mean?
Literally, 釜中生鱼 means “Fish growing in the cauldron”. It is used to mean “to be so poor that one has nothing to cook, implying long-term destitution; extreme poverty”.
Where does 釜中生鱼 come from?
釜中生鱼 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 釜中生鱼?
比喻生活困难，断炊已久。