📖 Meaning
When a person falls into poverty or desperate circumstances, their mind becomes sluggish and their options diminish. It describes how hardship can dull one's resourcefulness and problem-solving ability.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces to the Song Dynasty poet Chen Wuji (陈无己), who wrote '人穷令智短' (when a man is destitute, his wisdom falls short), as recorded by Zhuang Jiyu in 'Ji Lei Bian' (《鸡肋编》). A parallel expression appears in Wei Bai's 'Jianzhong Jingguo Xudeng Lu' (《建中靖国续灯录》): '人贫智短，马瘦毛长' — when a person is poor, wisdom falls short; when a horse is thin, its hair grows long — drawing a vivid analogy between human destitution and animal frailty.
💡 Example Usage
创业失败后他负债累累，做什么决定都出错，真是人穷智短。
After his business failed and he was drowning in debt, every decision he made went wrong — truly a case of poverty dulling the mind.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 人穷智短
- Pinyin: rén qióng zhì duǎn
- Literal Translation: person, poor, wisdom, short
- Category: Wisdom
- Characters: 4