📖 Meaning
Describes being extremely and utterly drunk, to the point of losing control of one's body and senses. The idiom emphasizes the extreme degree of inebriation, often implying staggering, unconsciousness, or a complete loss of composure. It is used to portray someone who has drunk far too much alcohol.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom appears in Ming-dynasty writer Feng Menglong's collection 'Stories to Awaken the World' (《警世通言》), in Chapter Six. It describes the young scholar Yu Liang, who, after failing his pursuit of success, drank several bowls of cheap wine on an empty stomach. By evening he was dead drunk, staggering and stumbling as he made his way to Old Woman Sun's inn, where he collapsed unconscious and fell into a deep sleep. The vivid scene of helpless inebriation gave rise to this expression.
💡 Example Usage
他昨晚在酒席上酩酊烂醉，最后被朋友搀扶着送回了家。
Last night he was dead drunk at the banquet and had to be helped home by his friends.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 酩酊烂醉
- Pinyin: mǐng dǐng làn zuì
- Literal Translation: intoxicated, thoroughly drunk
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4