📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a person hitting their head against the ground and crying out to heaven in extreme grief. It portrays overwhelming sorrow expressed through dramatic physical action. The image conveys the most intense form of despair and lamentation.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Qing dynasty novel 'Officialdom Unmasked' (官场现形记) by Li Baojia (李宝嘉), Chapter 14. In the story, when a shop owner's wife discovers that her daughter-in-law has died, she is so devastated that she throws herself to the ground, cries out to heaven, and weeps without end. The phrase vividly captures her uncontrollable grief at the sudden loss.
💡 Example Usage
得知儿子遇难的消息，她抢地呼天，痛哭不止。
Upon hearing the news of her son's death, she threw herself to the ground, cried out to heaven, and wept without ceasing.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 抢地呼天
- Pinyin: qiāng dì hū tiān
- Literal Translation: hit the ground, cry to heaven
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4