📖 Meaning
To shout oneself hoarse and use up all one's strength. It describes crying out desperately with everything one has. The idiom conveys a state of extreme physical exhaustion from continuous yelling or shouting.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom first appears in the modern drama and film 'Pingyuan Guerrilla Force' (平原游击队) by Xing Ye and Yu Shan. In one scene, the character He Fei shouts desperately to his commanding officer, begging for orders as their own forces had begun fighting among themselves. The phrase vividly captures the panic and utter exhaustion of a person driven to cry out at the top of his lungs. It has since become a common expression for frantic, desperate shouting.
💡 Example Usage
孩子失踪后，母亲力竭声嘶地呼唤着他的名字。
After her child went missing, the mother called out his name until her strength gave out and her voice went hoarse.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 力竭声嘶
- Pinyin: lì jié shēng sī
- Literal Translation: strength exhausted, voice hoarse
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4