家徒壁立 — “To be utterly destitute”
家徒壁立 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be utterly destitute”. To be dirt poor; to have nothing but bare walls. Literally, “Home has only bare walls; Family has only bare walls”.
家徒壁立 Pronunciation and Pinyin
家徒壁立 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 家徒壁立
Origin and Story of 家徒壁立
Sima Xiangru, a famous writer of the Western Han Dynasty, returned to his hometown in Chengdu after the death of King Xiao of Liang. His family was extremely poor, and life was very difficult.
His friend, Wang Ji, the magistrate of Linqiong County, invited him to be a guest at the mansion of Zhuo Wangsun, a wealthy landlord. Sima Xiangru fell in love with Zhuo Wenjun, Zhuo Wangsun's widowed daughter.
The two eloped and returned to Sima Xiangru's home, which was utterly destitute with nothing but bare walls, and began their simple, impoverished life together.
Idioms Related to 家徒壁立
Synonyms of 家徒壁立
Antonyms of 家徒壁立
More idioms starting with 家
- jiā家chǒu丑bù不kě可wài外yáng扬Do not air your family's dirty linen in public
- jiā家chǒu丑bù不kě可wài外tán谈Keep family secrets private
- jiā家chǒu丑bù不wài外yáng扬Don't air dirty laundry in public
- jiā家yè业diāo雕líng零family fortune withering away
- jiā家shū书dǐ抵wàn万jīn金A letter from home is priceless
- jiā家wáng亡guó国pò破family ruined, nation destroyed
- jiā家rén人fù父zǐ子family members, father and son
- jiā家chuán传rén人sòng诵widely known and recited
- jiā家chuán传hù户sòng诵widely known and recited by all
- jiā家chuán传hù户sòng颂universally acclaimed
- jiā家shì势zhōng中luò落family fortunes decline
- jiā家fǎn反zhái宅luàn乱noisy, chaotic, and disordered household
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Open the tool →Questions about 家徒壁立
What does 家徒壁立 mean?
家徒壁立 (jiā tú bì lì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be utterly destitute”.
How do you pronounce 家徒壁立?
家徒壁立 is pronounced jiā tú bì lì in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 家徒壁立 literally mean?
Literally, 家徒壁立 means “Home has only bare walls; Family has only bare walls”. It is used to mean “to be utterly destitute”.
Where does 家徒壁立 come from?
家徒壁立 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 家徒壁立?
徒：只，仅仅。家里只有四面的墙壁。形容十分贫困，一无所有。