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家无儋石
家无儋石
家无儋石
家无儋石
家无儋石
家无儋石
家无儋石
家无儋石

家无儋石 — “Describes a household with no stored grain”

家无儋石 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes a household with no stored grain”. Signifying extreme poverty or destitution, living from hand to mouth. Literally, “home without dān shí (of grain) storage”.

Frequency

家无儋石 Pronunciation and Pinyin

家无儋石 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
家
jiā10family home or expert
无
wú4without, not having
儋
dàn15Danzhou, to bear a load
石
shí5Rock, stone

Example Sentence with 家无儋石

那个家庭因为长期的困境,早已家无儋石,生活非常艰难。
Due to prolonged hardship, that family had long been extremely poor, living a very difficult life.

Origin and Story of 家无儋石

During the late Western Han Dynasty, Yang Xiong, a native of Shu Commandery, was extremely studious and fond of fu (rhapsodies). His works like 'Fu on the Hunt' and 'Anti-Lisao' were very famous.

He lived a very austere and poor life, with his family property not exceeding ten jin and without a single dàn shí of grain stored. He was content with his simple and poor life, never deliberately seeking fame or fortune.

He served as a Huangmen Jishilang (Palace Attendant) for Emperor Cheng, Emperor Ai, and Emperor Ping, but never received a promotion.

Idioms Related to 家无儋石

Synonyms of 家无儋石

  • jiā家wú无dàn担shí石extremely poor, no food at home

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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Questions about 家无儋石

What does 家无儋石 mean?

家无儋石 (jiā wú dàn shí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes a household with no stored grain”.

How do you pronounce 家无儋石?

家无儋石 is pronounced jiā wú dàn shí in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 家无儋石 literally mean?

Literally, 家无儋石 means “home without dān shí (of grain) storage”. It is used to mean “describes a household with no stored grain”.

Where does 家无儋石 come from?

家无儋石 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 家无儋石?

十斗为一石,两石为一儋。形容家里没有存粮。比喻家境困难。

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