落井下石 — “To drop stones on someone who has fallen into a well”
落井下石 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to exploit someone's misfortune or difficult situation by making it worse; to take advantage of someone's vulnerability and cause further harm”. Literally, “to drop stones on someone who has fallen into a well”.
落井下石 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 落luò
- 井jǐng
- 下xià
- 石shí
落井下石 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 落井下石
Origin and Story of 落井下石
During the Tang Dynasty, Liu Zongyuan, a prominent Censor Grandee, was demoted to the Prefect of Liuzhou due to some political missteps. He died in Liuzhou, feeling dejected and unfulfilled.
His good friend, the renowned literary master Han Yu, was deeply upset by the injustice. He felt that Liu Zongyuan had been slandered and attacked by petty individuals who took advantage of his downfall. To commemorate Liu Zongyuan and condemn such malicious behavior, Han Yu wrote a powerful epitaph.
In it, he not only praised his friend but also vehemently exposed those who 'fell into a well and threw stones,' meaning they seized the opportunity to harm Liu Zongyuan when he was already in a vulnerable position. Han Yu also used this story to caution the world against those who outwardly appear loyal and trustworthy but are quick to betray and exploit others' misfortunes.
Idioms Related to 落井下石
Synonyms of 落井下石
Antonyms of 落井下石
More idioms starting with 落
- luò落jǐng井tóu投shí石harm someone already in a difficult situation
- luò落yè叶guī归gēn根Returning to one's roots
- luò落yè叶zhī知qiū秋A fallen leaf signals autumn's arrival
- luò落dì地shēng生gēn根settle down and become established
- luò落tuò拓bù不jī羁unconventional and unconstrained
- luò落yuè月wū屋liáng梁deep remembrance of a friend
- luò落shuǐ水gǒu狗a villain who has lost power
- luò落tāng汤páng螃xiè蟹in a sorry and flustered state
- luò落tāng汤jī鸡a person completely drenched and disheveled
- luò落zhǐ纸yún云yān烟exquisite calligraphy or writing
- luò落zhǐ纸rú如fēi飞write with great speed and fluency
- luò落huā花méi媒ren人facilitator of illicit romance
Questions about 落井下石
- What does 落井下石 mean?
- 落井下石 (luò jǐng xià shí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to exploit someone's misfortune or difficult situation by making it worse; to take advantage of someone's vulnerability and cause further harm”.
- How do you pronounce 落井下石?
- 落井下石 is pronounced luò jǐng xià shí in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 落井下石 literally mean?
- Literally, 落井下石 means “to drop stones on someone who has fallen into a well”. It is used to mean “to exploit someone's misfortune or difficult situation by making it worse; to take advantage of someone's vulnerability and cause further harm”.
- Where does 落井下石 come from?
- 落井下石 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 落井下石?
- 看见人要掉进陷井里，不伸手救他，反而推他下去，又扔下石头。比喻乘人有危难时加以陷害。