📖 Meaning
Literally 'Lord Shan loaded inverted onto a cart,' this idiom describes someone so intoxicated that they collapse into their carriage lying upside down. It paints a vivid picture of extreme drunkenness and unconsciousness from drinking.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom derives from Shan Jian (山简), a Western Jin dynasty official and son of the famed scholar Shan Tao, who served as military governor of Xiangyang. Historical records and later poetry recount that Shan Jian was an exceptionally heavy drinker who would become so inebriated he could only be transported home lying face-down in his cart. The image of 'Lord Shan loaded inverted' became a celebrated literary allusion in classical Chinese poetry, notably used by Li Bai and other Tang poets to evoke scenes of carefree, unrestrained revelry.
💡 Example Usage
昨晚的宴会上，他喝得山公倒载，连家都回不去。
At last night's banquet, he drank until he was so drunk he couldn't even make it home, like Lord Shan lying upside down in his cart.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 山公倒载
- Pinyin: shān gōng dǎo zǎi
- Literal Translation: mountain, lord, inverted, loaded (onto cart)
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4