📖 Meaning
Literally holding an uncut piece of jade while weeping tears of blood, this idiom describes a person of genuine worth or talent whose abilities go unrecognized. It conveys profound grief and anguish over being passed over or misunderstood by those in authority.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase echoes the legend of Bian He (卞和), a man of the Chu state during the Spring and Autumn period of the Eastern Zhou dynasty. Bian He discovered a raw jade stone in the Chu mountains and twice presented it to successive Chu kings, but both dismissed it as an ordinary rock and had his feet amputated for alleged deceit. When a third king took the throne, Bian He clutched his uncut jade at the foot of the mountain and wept until blood flowed from his eyes; the new king finally ordered the stone cut open, revealing the priceless Heshi Bi (和氏璧) jade disc within.
💡 Example Usage
他一身才华却屡屡被埋没，独自抱璞泣血，悲叹命运不公。
Endowed with talent yet repeatedly overlooked, he clutched his uncut gem and wept tears of blood, lamenting the injustice of his fate.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 抱璞泣血
- Pinyin: bào pú qì xuè
- Literal Translation: embrace uncarved jade, weep blood
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4