望帝啼鹃 — “Refers to the mournful and sorrowful cry of a cuckoo”
望帝啼鹃 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to the mournful and sorrowful cry of a cuckoo”. Often symbolizing deep grief, lamentation, or profound sadness, echoing the tragic legend of Emperor Wang who transformed into the bird. Literally, “Emperor Wang's Cuckoo Cry”.
望帝啼鹃 Pronunciation and Pinyin
望帝啼鹃 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 望帝啼鹃
Origin and Story of 望帝啼鹃
Legend has it that during the Warring States period, Du Yu, the King of Shu, proclaimed himself Emperor Wang. He made great contributions to controlling floods in the Shu kingdom.
Later, he abdicated his throne to his minister and retired to live in Xishan.
After his death, he transformed into a cuckoo. In spring, it would cry mournfully day and night, its calls incredibly poignant and sorrowful, often until it coughed up blood.
Idioms Related to 望帝啼鹃
Synonyms of 望帝啼鹃
More idioms starting with 望
- wàng望yún云zhī之qíng情longing for one's parents
- wàng望qí其jiān肩bèi背to be able to rival or catch up
- wàng望qí其jiān肩xiàng项to be able to compete with someone
- wàng望qí其xiàng项bèi背to be able to catch up with
- wàng望zi子chéng成míng名hope for one's child to be famous
- wàng望zǐ子chéng成lóng龙hope children succeed
- wàng望chén尘bù不jí及too inferior to catch up
- wàng望chén尘piào僄shēng声believe rumors readily
- wàng望chén尘bēn奔běi北flee in disarray at enemy sight
- wàng望chén尘bēn奔kuì溃flee in disarray at enemy's approach
- wàng望chén尘bài拜fú伏kowtow to someone's every whim
- wàng望chén尘ér而bài拜bow at the dust of a powerful person
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Open the tool →Questions about 望帝啼鹃
What does 望帝啼鹃 mean?
望帝啼鹃 (wàng dì tí juān) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to the mournful and sorrowful cry of a cuckoo”.
How do you pronounce 望帝啼鹃?
望帝啼鹃 is pronounced wàng dì tí juān in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 望帝啼鹃 literally mean?
Literally, 望帝啼鹃 means “Emperor Wang's Cuckoo Cry”. It is used to mean “refers to the mournful and sorrowful cry of a cuckoo”.
Where does 望帝啼鹃 come from?
望帝啼鹃 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 望帝啼鹃?
相传战国时蜀王杜宇称帝，号望帝，为蜀治水有功，后禅位臣子，退隐西山，死后化为杜鹃鸟，啼声凄切。后常指悲哀凄惨的啼哭。