📖 Meaning
A classical idiom describing extreme poverty and destitution. '食藿' means subsisting on bean leaves as food, while '悬鹑' refers to wearing tattered clothing that resembles the scraggly, drooping tail of a quail bird. Together they vividly depict a life of severe material hardship.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom combines two classical images of poverty from Chinese literature. '食藿' (eating bean leaves) reflects the meager diet of the destitute, as bean leaves were regarded as coarse fare for the very poor. '悬鹑' (hanging quail) derives from the description of ragged garments so full of holes they resemble the bald, dangling tail of a quail. The two images were joined to portray a person living in utter destitution. Both motifs recur throughout classical Chinese poetry and prose, though no single text is cited as the definitive source.
💡 Example Usage
他晚年食藿悬鹑，潦倒不堪。
In his later years, he lived in utter destitution, eating bean leaves and dressed in rags.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 食藿悬鹑
- Pinyin: shí huò xuán chún
- Literal Translation: eat, bean leaves, hang, quail
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4