📖 Meaning
Refers to a dwelling made of stacked clods of earth and piled-up firewood, describing extremely humble and crude living quarters. It conveys the image of a simple, even primitive, residence. It is a variant of the idiom '累块积苏'.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from a poem by the Qing dynasty scholar-official Qian Qianyi (钱谦益), titled '自拂水步至吾谷登南岩憩维摩寺' (Walking from Fushui to Wugu, Climbing the Southern Cliff, and Resting at Vimalakirti Temple). In the poem the speaker writes '恍然生身色界上，累苏积块何足省' — as though suddenly reborn into the Buddhist realm of form, his earthly abode of piled clods and firewood is hardly worth a glance. The line was later distilled into the idiom denoting a crude and simple dwelling.
💡 Example Usage
虽居累苏积块之间，亦觉心安。
Even dwelling among piled clods and firewood, he feels at peace.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 累苏积块
- Pinyin: lěi sū jī kuài
- Literal Translation: pile up, brushwood, accumulate, clods of earth
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4