📖 Meaning
To wail and cry loudly toward heaven and earth. It describes a state of extreme grief and anguish, where a person is so overcome with sorrow that they cry out as if appealing to the heavens and the earth itself.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from Chapter 20 of 'The Scholars' (《儒林外史》), a satirical novel by Wu Jingzi written during the Qing Dynasty. In the story, a mother-in-law is described as 'wailing to heaven and crying to earth' (嚎天喊地的哭) upon learning of her son-in-law's death. The phrase vividly captures the raw, unrestrained grief of a person who has lost a loved one, and it has since become a set expression for describing scenes of extreme lamentation.
💡 Example Usage
听到儿子去世的消息，她当场嚎天喊地，谁也劝不住。
Upon hearing the news of her son's death, she wailed to heaven and cried to earth on the spot, and no one could console her.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 嚎天喊地
- Pinyin: háo tiān hǎn dì
- Literal Translation: howl, heaven, cry, earth
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4