若敖鬼馁 — “Ruo'ao's ghosts are hungry”
若敖鬼馁 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have no descendants, especially no male heirs, to continue the family line and perform ancestral sacrifices, thereby leaving ancestral spirits 'hungry'; figuratively, to signify the complete extinction of a lineage”. Literally, “Ruo'ao's ghosts are hungry”.
若敖鬼馁 Pronunciation and Pinyin
若敖鬼馁 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 若敖鬼馁
Origin and Story of 若敖鬼馁
During the Spring and Autumn period, in the state of Chu, the brothers Ziwen and Ziliang of the Ruo'ao clan both held official positions.
Sima Ziliang had a fierce son named Dou Yuejiao. Lingyin Ziwen disliked the child, remarking that he possessed a wolf's ambition and would bring about the demise of the entire clan.
Later, Dou Yuejiao became Sima. He killed his cousin Ziyang to succeed him as Lingyin, then secretly expanded his army and rebelled.
He was ultimately defeated by the King of Chu, leading to the extermination of the entire Ruo'ao clan.
Idioms Related to 若敖鬼馁
More idioms starting with 若
- ruò若bù不shèng胜yī衣extremely frail, as if unable to bear clothes
- ruò若sàng丧kǎo考bǐ妣as grief-stricken as if one's parents had died
- ruò若chū出yī一guǐ轨as if from the same mold
- ruò若chū出yī一zhé辙exactly alike
- ruò若jí即ruò若lí离subtly distant
- ruò若luǎn卵tóu投shí石attempt the impossible
- ruò若hé合fú符jié节to match perfectly
- ruò若cún存ruò若wáng亡vague and elusive
- ruò若bēng崩jué厥jiǎo角Extremely uneasy, anxious, and fearful
- ruò若áo敖zhī之guǐ鬼ghosts without descendants to worship them
- ruò若wú无qí其shì事as if nothing had happened
- ruò若míng明ruò若mèi昧unclear or vague understanding
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Open the tool →Questions about 若敖鬼馁
What does 若敖鬼馁 mean?
若敖鬼馁 (ruò áo guǐ něi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have no descendants, especially no male heirs, to continue the family line and perform ancestral sacrifices, thereby leaving ancestral spirits 'hungry'; figuratively, to signify the complete extinction of a lineage”.
How do you pronounce 若敖鬼馁?
若敖鬼馁 is pronounced ruò áo guǐ něi in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 若敖鬼馁 literally mean?
Literally, 若敖鬼馁 means “Ruo'ao's ghosts are hungry”. It is used to mean “to have no descendants, especially no male heirs, to continue the family line and perform ancestral sacrifices, thereby leaving ancestral spirits 'hungry'; figuratively, to signify the complete extinction of a lineage”.
Where does 若敖鬼馁 come from?
若敖鬼馁 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 若敖鬼馁?
若敖：指春秋时楚国的若敖氏；馁：饿。若敖氏的鬼受饿了。比喻没有后代，无人祭祀。