📖 Meaning
A Buddhist depiction of hell's torments, where the condemned climb trees of swords and mountains of knives. It describes extremely cruel punishment or agonizing, life-threatening suffering.
📜 Origin Story
Derived from the Tang-era tale 'Pei Zezi' (裴则子) recorded in 'Taiping Guangji' (太平广记), volume 382, quoting the collection 'Mingbao Shiyi' (冥报拾遗). The text recounts a soul entering the underworld's third gate and witnessing boiling cauldrons, knife mountains, and sword trees—grisly instruments of karmic retribution. The Qing-dynasty novel 'Ernü Yingxiong Zhuan' (儿女英雄传) later used it to convey fearless resolve in the face of mortal danger.
💡 Example Usage
为了救出同伴，哪怕是剑树刀山，他也毫不犹豫地闯了进去。
To rescue his companions, he charged in without hesitation, undaunted even by sword trees and knife mountains.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 剑树刀山
- Pinyin: jiàn shù dāo shān
- Literal Translation: sword, tree, knife, mountain
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4