📖 Meaning
People die and the family is ruined. It describes the tragic state of a household that has suffered both death and financial destruction. A variant of the more common form 家破人亡.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Book of Jin' (晋书), in the Biography of Wen Qiao (温峤传). During the Jin Dynasty, the loyal general Liu Kun (刘琨) fought against northern invaders but was ultimately killed by Duan Pidi (段匹磾). Wen Qiao, who had served under Liu Kun, submitted a memorial to the emperor praising Liu Kun's loyalty, writing that although his great deeds went unfulfilled, his family was broken and his people perished, and he therefore deserved posthumous honor to satisfy the hopes of the realm. The expression later became a common idiom for complete household ruin accompanied by loss of life.
💡 Example Usage
那场战乱使得许多家庭人亡家破，失去了往日的安宁。
That war caused many families to lose their loved ones and be ruined, losing their former peace.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 人亡家破
- Pinyin: rén wáng jiā pò
- Literal Translation: person die, family broken
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4