不毛之地 — “A barren, desolate, or infertile land where nothing grows”
不毛之地 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a barren, desolate, or infertile land where nothing grows”. A wasteland or a sterile area. Literally, “barren land”.
Frequency
不毛之地 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 不bù
- 毛máo
- 之zhī
- 地dì
不毛之地 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 不毛之地
这片荒漠曾被视为一片不毛之地，但经过多年的努力，现在已经有了一些绿色植物。
This desert was once considered a barren land, but after years of effort, some green plants have now appeared.
Origin and Story of 不毛之地
In 597 BC, King Zhuang of Chu led his army to attack the state of Zheng and occupied its capital. Duke Xiang of Zheng, seeing his state completely defeated, went to King Zhuang with his upper body bared, kneeling to beg for peace.
He promised to cede Zheng's territory to Chu and let its people become Chu's slaves, only asking for a barren piece of land to live out his remaining years. King Zhuang, seeing Duke Xiang's sincere repentance, agreed to his plea for peace.
Idioms Related to 不毛之地
Synonyms of 不毛之地
More idioms starting with 不
- bù不yī一ér而zú足numerous and varied, impossible to list all
- bù不sān三bù不sì四improper or disreputable
- bù不shàng上bù不xià下stuck in an awkward position
- bù不shàng上bù不luò落in an awkward or embarrassing situation
- bù不shì世zhī之yè业unparalleled achievements
- bù不shì世zhī之chóu仇unrivaled enmity
- bù不shì世zhī之gōng功unparalleled achievement
- bù不shì世zhī之lüè略unparalleled strategy
- bù不sàng丧bǐ匕chàng鬯peace and order, rituals undisturbed
- bù不fēng丰bù不jiǎn俭neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不fēng丰bù不shā杀neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不wèi为wǔ五dǒu斗mǐ米zhé折yāo腰Refuse to compromise integrity for meager gain
Questions about 不毛之地
- What does 不毛之地 mean?
- 不毛之地 (bù máo zhī dì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a barren, desolate, or infertile land where nothing grows”.
- How do you pronounce 不毛之地?
- 不毛之地 is pronounced bù máo zhī dì in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 不毛之地 literally mean?
- Literally, 不毛之地 means “barren land”. It is used to mean “a barren, desolate, or infertile land where nothing grows”.
- Where does 不毛之地 come from?
- 不毛之地 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 不毛之地?
- 不生长草木庄稼的荒地。形容荒凉、贫瘠。