📖 Meaning
Literally describing a scene of grief-laden clouds and gloomy fog, this idiom paints a picture of a dark, dreary landscape. Metaphorically, it depicts an oppressive, melancholy situation that fills people with distress and despair, often used to characterize a bleak social or emotional atmosphere.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom traces back to the Song dynasty Buddhist text "Jingde Chuandeng Lu" (Record of the Transmission of the Lamp), compiled by the monk Shi Daoyuan. In volume 22 of the work, an elder named Yuan Ying steps forward from the assembly, bows, and addresses the master, using the phrase "云愁雾惨" to lament that the clouds are sorrowful and the fog is grim while the crowd weeps. He then requests a final word of teaching before bidding farewell. Originally a Buddhist metaphorical expression, it later evolved into the common four-character form "愁云惨雾," now widely used to describe bleak, sorrowful scenes or distressing circumstances.
💡 Example Usage
风暴过后，整个村庄笼罩在愁云惨雾之中，人们的心情格外沉重。
After the storm, the entire village was shrouded in gloom and misery, and people's hearts were especially heavy.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 愁云惨雾
- Pinyin: chóu yún cǎn wù
- Literal Translation: sorrow, cloud, bleak, fog
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4