📖 Meaning
This idiom describes crying out to heaven and earth in desperation, seeking help or expressing extreme distress. It portrays a person in a hopeless situation calling upon all powers above and below for aid, conveying utter helplessness and despair.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a variant of the more common 呼天喊地 and 呼天抢地, sharing the same imagery of appealing to heaven and earth in moments of anguish. No single classical text is cited as its definitive source. It draws on the ancient Chinese belief that heaven and earth encompass all forces, so calling upon both represents the most desperate form of supplication. Such appeals to heaven and earth appear throughout Chinese literature as expressions of unbearable grief or injustice.
💡 Example Usage
他在绝望中呼天钥地，却无人回应。
In despair he cried out to heaven and earth, but no one answered.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 呼天钥地
- Pinyin: hū tiān yào dì
- Literal Translation: cry to heaven, call to earth
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4