📖 Meaning
To beat one's chest and weep tears of blood. It describes extreme grief and sorrow so deep that one feels as though blood could be wept from the eyes. The idiom conveys an overwhelming, visceral anguish that cannot be contained.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a letter written by the Han dynasty general Li Ling to Su Wu, titled 'Reply to Su Wu's Letter.' Li Ling, who was forced to surrender to the Xiongnu after being surrounded in battle, recounts how his ambitions were unfulfilled while his family suffered punishment. He writes that looking up to heaven, he beats his chest and weeps blood, expressing the depths of his despair and helplessness.
💡 Example Usage
听闻至亲离世的噩耗，她椎心泣血，悲痛欲绝。
Upon hearing the devastating news of her closest relative's passing, she beat her chest and wept tears of blood, utterly consumed by grief.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 椎心泣血
- Pinyin: chuí xīn qì xuè
- Literal Translation: strike, heart, weep, blood
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4