







楚囚相对 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be overwhelmed by shared sorrow and helplessness in a dire situation; to face each other in despair, lamenting a common unfortunate fate”. Literally, “Chu prisoners facing each other”.
In 316 AD, Liu Yao's forces annihilated the Western Jin dynasty. Sima Rui, with the support of Wang Dao, established the Eastern Jin dynasty in Jiankang.
Some aristocrats and officials would often gather at Xinting, outside Jiankang, to drink on clear days.
One day, Marquis Wu Cheng, Zhou Kai, expressed deep sorrow, which moved everyone to tears.
Chancellor Wang Dao then declared that they should focus on recovering their lost territory and not simply weep at the sight of each other, like prisoners from the state of Chu.

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Open the tool →楚囚相对 (chǔ qiú xiāng duì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be overwhelmed by shared sorrow and helplessness in a dire situation; to face each other in despair, lamenting a common unfortunate fate”.
楚囚相对 is pronounced chǔ qiú xiāng duì in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 楚囚相对 means “Chu prisoners facing each other”. It is used to mean “to be overwhelmed by shared sorrow and helplessness in a dire situation; to face each other in despair, lamenting a common unfortunate fate”.
楚囚相对 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
形容人们遭遇国难或其他变故,相对无策,徒然悲伤。