黄台之瓜 — “Gourds of Yellow Terrace”
黄台之瓜 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to a situation that has suffered so much damage or loss that it cannot withstand any further harm, indicating a warning against repeated and excessive actions that lead to complete depletion or ruin”. Literally, “Gourds of Yellow Terrace”.
黄台之瓜 Pronunciation and Pinyin
黄台之瓜 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 黄台之瓜
Origin and Story of 黄台之瓜
During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Empress Wu Zetian gradually took control of state affairs. Driven by ambition and employing ruthless methods, she first deposed Crown Prince Li Zhong and established Li Hong as the new crown prince. Later, she poisoned Li Hong and then appointed Li Xian as the crown prince.
Fearing his own impending doom, Li Xian composed 'The Ballad of the Yellow Terrace Gourds' (《黄台瓜辞》).
The poem reads: 'Planting gourds beneath the yellow terrace, when ripe, they are numerous. A first pluck improves the gourds, a second makes them scarce, a third is still tolerable, but after all are plucked, only the vine remains.'
Through this metaphor, Li Xian expressed his deep anxiety and implicitly pleaded with his mother, Empress Wu, to cease her relentless purging and replacement of her own sons, lest she be left with nothing.
Idioms Related to 黄台之瓜
More idioms starting with 黄
- huáng黄yún云bái白cǎo草desolate frontier landscape
- huáng黄rén人shǒu守rì日a period of great prosperity and stability
- huáng黄rén人pěng捧rì日excellent order and robust prosperity
- huáng黄gōng公hǎo好qiān谦excessively modest or feigning humility
- huáng黄gōng公jiǔ酒lú垆mourn departed friends or bygone days
- huáng黄guàn冠cǎo草lǚ履simple rustic attire
- huáng黄guàn冠cǎo草fú服simple, humble clothing of common people
- huáng黄guàn冠yě野fú服simple rustic attire
- huáng黄juàn卷yòu幼fù妇a cryptic reference for splendid
- huáng黄juàn卷qīng青dēng灯solitary diligent study late into night
- huáng黄fà发ér儿chǐ齿live a long and healthy life
- huáng黄fā发tái台bèi背elderly people with signs of old age
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Open the tool →Questions about 黄台之瓜
What does 黄台之瓜 mean?
黄台之瓜 (huáng tái zhī guā) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to a situation that has suffered so much damage or loss that it cannot withstand any further harm, indicating a warning against repeated and excessive actions that lead to complete depletion or ruin”.
How do you pronounce 黄台之瓜?
黄台之瓜 is pronounced huáng tái zhī guā in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 黄台之瓜 literally mean?
Literally, 黄台之瓜 means “Gourds of Yellow Terrace”. It is used to mean “refers to a situation that has suffered so much damage or loss that it cannot withstand any further harm, indicating a warning against repeated and excessive actions that lead to complete depletion or ruin”.
Where does 黄台之瓜 come from?
黄台之瓜 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 黄台之瓜?
黄台：指《黄台瓜辞》，为唐李贤所作，希望以此感悟高宗及武则天不能再废太子。比喻不堪再摘。