扫墓望丧 — “Sweep a grave and await a funeral”
扫墓望丧 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to grimly anticipate the imminent downfall or retribution of a cruel or oppressive person, implying that their deserved end is near”. Literally, “Sweep a grave and await a funeral”.
扫墓望丧 Pronunciation and Pinyin
扫墓望丧 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 扫墓望丧
Origin and Story of 扫墓望丧
During the Han Dynasty, Yan Yannian served as the Prefect of Henan. His mother traveled from Donghai to Luoyang to live with him.
One day, she happened to see a report detailing the execution of criminals. His mother was greatly shocked and exclaimed, "I never expected to live to see my strong son face such punishment! Go! I'm leaving you to return east and simply sweep the family tomb!"
A little over a year later, Yan Yannian was indeed punished.
Idioms Related to 扫墓望丧
More idioms starting with 扫
- sǎo扫xìng兴ér而huí回return disappointed
- sǎo扫dì地yǐ以jìn尽Utterly destroyed or discredited
- sǎo扫dì地jù俱jìn尽completely swept away, nothing left
- sǎo扫dì地chū出mén门expel penniless from home or position
- sǎo扫dì地wú无yú余completely swept away, nothing left
- sǎo扫dì地wú无yí遗Completely swept clean
- sào扫zhou帚xīng星a person who brings bad luck
- sǎo扫tà榻yǐ以dài待eagerly await an honored guest
- sǎo扫tián田guā刮dì地do various farm chores
- sǎo扫méi眉cái才zǐ子talented woman
- sǎo扫xué穴qín擒qú渠wipe out the lair and capture the chief
- sǎo扫xué穴lí犁tíng庭Completely destroy an enemy's stronghold
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Open the tool →Questions about 扫墓望丧
What does 扫墓望丧 mean?
扫墓望丧 (sǎo mù wàng sàng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to grimly anticipate the imminent downfall or retribution of a cruel or oppressive person, implying that their deserved end is near”.
How do you pronounce 扫墓望丧?
扫墓望丧 is pronounced sǎo mù wàng sàng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 扫墓望丧 literally mean?
Literally, 扫墓望丧 means “Sweep a grave and await a funeral”. It is used to mean “to grimly anticipate the imminent downfall or retribution of a cruel or oppressive person, implying that their deserved end is near”.
Where does 扫墓望丧 come from?
扫墓望丧 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 扫墓望丧?
扫除墓地，以待人死入葬。指酷吏必当有恶报，指日可待。