清灰冷灶 — “To be extremely poor, with no food or drink”
清灰冷灶 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be extremely poor, with no food or drink”. Often used to describe a desolate and impoverished scene. Literally, “clean ashes, cold stove”.
Frequency
清灰冷灶 Pronunciation and Pinyin
清灰冷灶 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 清灰冷灶
他们家境贫寒，常常是清灰冷灶，连饭都吃不上。
Their family was so poor that their kitchen often had clean ashes and cold stoves, meaning they barely had food to eat.
Idioms Related to 清灰冷灶
Synonyms of 清灰冷灶
More idioms starting with 清
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- qīng清cāng仓pán盘kù库clearance and inventory check
- qīng清jìng净jì寂miè灭pure tranquility and ultimate liberation
- qīng清jìng净wú无wéi为tranquility and non-interference
- qīng清yuán原zhèng正běn本address the root cause
- qīng清jūn君cè侧remove corrupting influences from a leader
- qīng清hé和píng平yǔn允gentle, mild, and balanced temperament
- qīng清shèng圣zhuó浊xián贤euphemism for clear and turbid wine
- qīng清yè夜mén扪xīn心reflect on one's conscience at night
- qīng清tiān天bái白rì日in broad daylight
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Open the tool →Questions about 清灰冷灶
What does 清灰冷灶 mean?
清灰冷灶 (qīng huī lěng zào) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be extremely poor, with no food or drink”.
How do you pronounce 清灰冷灶?
清灰冷灶 is pronounced qīng huī lěng zào in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 清灰冷灶 literally mean?
Literally, 清灰冷灶 means “clean ashes, cold stove”. It is used to mean “to be extremely poor, with no food or drink”.
What is the Chinese definition of 清灰冷灶?
没吃没喝。常用以形容贫困冷清的景象。