📖 Meaning
This idiom literally means to be shackled in iron chains and thrown into prison. It vividly describes someone being arrested and incarcerated, typically used for criminals or those facing legal punishment.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Zou Taofen's work 'Records of Surviving Adversity' (患难余生记), Chapter 2, written during the Republican era. Zou Taofen was a prominent Chinese journalist and political activist who documented the political persecution of his time. In the passage, he described how losing one's job was a mild consequence compared to being bound up by secret agents and thrown into prison in chains, or even losing one's life. The phrase captures the harsh reality of political repression during that turbulent period.
💡 Example Usage
那个贪官因贪污受贿锒铛入狱，被判了十五年有期徒刑。
That corrupt official was thrown into prison in chains for embezzlement and bribery, sentenced to fifteen years.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 锒铛入狱
- Pinyin: láng kāng rù yù
- Literal Translation: clanking chains, enter prison
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4