📖 Meaning
Literally to burn a corpse and scatter its ashes to the wind. It describes an intense, deeply rooted hatred and a desire to destroy an enemy completely, denying them even the peace of a proper burial. It is equivalent to the idiom 焚骨扬灰.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from Qing-dynasty writer Qian Yong's collection Lüyuan Conghua (《履园丛话》), in the chapter 'Jiuwen: Shaohuai'. In the anecdote, a mother hated a man named Li so bitterly that she went again to the judicial authorities, citing the precedent of Tao Heqi, and asked that after execution by lingchi (death by a thousand cuts) his corpse be burned and its ashes scattered. The episode is recorded to illustrate the extremes of personal vengeance and hatred in local disputes.
💡 Example Usage
他发誓要将仇人焚尸扬灰，以报当年灭门之恨。
He swore he would burn his enemy's corpse and scatter the ashes, to avenge the extermination of his family.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 焚尸扬灰
- Pinyin: fén shī yáng huī
- Literal Translation: burn corpse, scatter ashes
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4