📖 Meaning
A metaphor for losing one's helpers or close associates. Just as a bird whose feathers gradually fall out loses its ability to fly, a person or organization loses vital support and grows weaker. It describes a state of decline brought about by the loss of trusted allies.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from a letter composed by Sun Chu (孙楚) of the Jin Dynasty, titled 'Letter from Shi Zhongrong to Sun Hao' (为石仲容与孙皓书). In it, Sun Chu warned Sun Hao, the ruler of Eastern Wu, that his state faced a desperate situation: externally cut off from the mutual aid of allied states (compared to lips and teeth protecting each other), and internally suffering the gradual loss of capable ministers and supporters. The image of feathers falling scattered vividly conveyed how Wu was being drained of its vital support from within.
💡 Example Usage
公司高管相继离职，毛羽零落，经营日渐艰难。
With senior executives departing one after another, the company lost its key supporters and its operations grew increasingly difficult.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 毛羽零落
- Pinyin: máo yǔ líng luò
- Literal Translation: feathers, plumage, fall, scatter
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4