行尸走肉 — “A person who is merely alive but lacks purpose, thought, or spirit”
行尸走肉 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a person who is merely alive but lacks purpose, thought, or spirit”. A living dead person or a zombie-like individual. Literally, “Walking corpse and moving flesh”.
行尸走肉 Pronunciation and Pinyin
行尸走肉 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 行尸走肉
Origin and Story of 行尸走肉
Ren Mo, a man from the Eastern Han Dynasty, grew up in poverty.
He was diligent and eager to learn, always insisting on self-study. He demanded of himself to learn throughout his life, once even using thorny branches as pens and tree sap mixed with soot as ink, reading by the moonlight.
He became a very knowledgeable person and took on many students.
He once said that if people do not learn, they are like walking corpses.
Idioms Related to 行尸走肉
Synonyms of 行尸走肉
Antonyms of 行尸走肉
More idioms starting with 行
- xíng行xià下chūn春fēng风wàng望xià夏yǔ雨Do good expecting reward
- xíng行bù不cóng从jìng径take a shortcut or deviate from the proper path
- xíng行bù不fù副yán言actions do not match words
- xíng行bù不jí及yán言actions do not match words
- xíng行bù不lǚ履wēi危avoid dangerous situations
- xíng行bù不dé得yě也gē哥gē哥cannot proceed, brother
- xíng行bù不kuì愧yǐng影，，qǐn寝bù不kuì愧qīn衾have a clear conscience day and night
- xíng行bù不gēng更míng名，，zuò坐bù不gǎi改xìng姓open and straightforward about identity and actions
- xíng行bù不yóu由jìng径always act honestly and uprightly
- xíng行bù不yóu由xī西zhōu州lù路Mourn a deceased friend, avoid old places
- xíng行bù不zhī知wǎng往drift aimlessly without knowing where to go
- xíng行bù不shèng胜yī衣too weak to bear one's own clothes
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Open the tool →Questions about 行尸走肉
What does 行尸走肉 mean?
行尸走肉 (xíng shī zǒu ròu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a person who is merely alive but lacks purpose, thought, or spirit”.
How do you pronounce 行尸走肉?
行尸走肉 is pronounced xíng shī zǒu ròu in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 行尸走肉 literally mean?
Literally, 行尸走肉 means “Walking corpse and moving flesh”. It is used to mean “a person who is merely alive but lacks purpose, thought, or spirit”.
Where does 行尸走肉 come from?
行尸走肉 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 行尸走肉?
行尸：可以走动的尸体；走肉：会走动而没有灵魂的躯壳。比喻不动脑筋，不起作用，糊里糊涂过日子的人。