📖 Meaning
A bamboo rice basket and a gourd water dipper are frequently empty, leaving one without food or drink. The idiom describes living in extreme poverty and material deprivation. It often carries a tone of admiration for someone who endures such hardship with equanimity.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from 'Biography of Mr. Five Willows' (五柳先生传) by Tao Yuanming of the Jin Dynasty. The essay portrays a reclusive scholar whose bare walls could not block wind or sun, whose short coarse clothes were patched and tattered, and whose food basket and water gourd were often empty. Yet despite this destitution, the scholar remained carefree and content, delighting in reading and writing. The phrase has since become a classical description of severe material poverty, often paired with spiritual contentment.
💡 Example Usage
他一生箪瓢屡空，却从不抱怨贫困，始终以读书为乐。
Though his food and drink were often scarce throughout his life, he never complained about poverty and always found joy in reading.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 箪瓢屡空
- Pinyin: dān piáo lǚ kōng
- Literal Translation: bamboo food basket, gourd dipper, repeatedly, empty
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4