📖 Meaning
Literally refers to noxious, foul mists, rains, and vapors. Metaphorically, it describes cruel, tyrannical, and oppressive dark forces that plunge society into misery and despair.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the poem ‘Climbing the Tower and Sighing’ (《登楼叹》) by the late-Qing/early-Republican poet Zheng Ze (郑泽). In the line ‘毒泷恶雾纷相乘，令我望望心惺惺’ (‘poisonous rapids and foul mists press in from all sides, leaving me gazing afar with a troubled heart’), the poet uses the imagery of toxic waters and sinister fog to convey his anguish over the chaotic and oppressive state of the nation. The phrase has since become a literary metaphor for brutal and tyrannical dark powers that weigh upon the people.
💡 Example Usage
在那毒泷恶雾笼罩的年代，百姓苦不堪言。
In that era shrouded by poisonous mists and foul clouds, the common people suffered unbearably.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 毒泷恶雾
- Pinyin: dú lóng è wù
- Literal Translation: poisonous rapids, foul mist
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4