弹铗无鱼 — “Striking the sword hilt, having no fish”
弹铗无鱼 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to express discontent or grievance about one's poor living conditions or lack of opportunities, often subtly hinting at a desire for better treatment or assistance. It implies being in a difficult or embarrassing financial situation and needing help”. Literally, “Striking the sword hilt, having no fish”.
弹铗无鱼 Pronunciation and Pinyin
弹铗无鱼 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 弹铗无鱼
Origin and Story of 弹铗无鱼
During the Warring States period, Lord Mengchang of Qi had thousands of retainers. He divided them into three classes: the top class received meat and had chariots for travel, the middle class had fish, and the lowest class could only eat vegetables.
Feng Xuan was among the lowest-class retainers. He leaned against a doorpost, striking his sword hilt and complaining about not having any fish to eat. Lord Mengchang then promoted him to the middle class.
Soon after, he complained again about not having a chariot. Only after being promoted to the top class did he begin to diligently assist Lord Mengchang.
Idioms Related to 弹铗无鱼
More idioms starting with 弹
- tán弹sī丝pǐn品zhú竹play string and wind instruments
- dàn弹wán丸zhī之dì地a tiny, confined territory
- tán弹wán丸tuō脱shǒu手smooth and effortless writing or speech
- dàn弹wán丸hēi黑zǐ子extremely small and insignificant
- dàn弹wán丸hēi黑zhì志tiny or minuscule
- tán弹guān冠zhèn振yī衣prepare for public service
- tán弹guān冠zhèn振jīn衿prepare for an important official appointment
- tán弹guān冠xiāng相qìng庆celebrate a colleague's promotion for self-benefit
- tán弹guān冠jié结shòu绶recommend friends for official positions
- tán弹jiàn剑zuò作gē歌lament unappreciated talent
- dàn弹jìn尽yuán援jué绝all resources and support exhausted
- dàn弹jìn尽liáng粮jué绝out of ammunition and food, at the end
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Open the tool →Questions about 弹铗无鱼
What does 弹铗无鱼 mean?
弹铗无鱼 (dàn jiá wú yú) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to express discontent or grievance about one's poor living conditions or lack of opportunities, often subtly hinting at a desire for better treatment or assistance. It implies being in a difficult or embarrassing financial situation and needing help”.
How do you pronounce 弹铗无鱼?
弹铗无鱼 is pronounced dàn jiá wú yú in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 弹铗无鱼 literally mean?
Literally, 弹铗无鱼 means “Striking the sword hilt, having no fish”. It is used to mean “to express discontent or grievance about one's poor living conditions or lack of opportunities, often subtly hinting at a desire for better treatment or assistance. It implies being in a difficult or embarrassing financial situation and needing help”.
Where does 弹铗无鱼 come from?
弹铗无鱼 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 弹铗无鱼?
铗：剑把。指处境窘困，有求于人。