📖 Meaning
Literally describing someone who is like a corpse yet still has a last trace of breath, referring to a person on the verge of death. It is also used metaphorically to describe someone who is lifeless, lethargic, and incapable of achieving anything. The idiom conveys a sense of utter stagnation and futility.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Biography of Emperor Xuan' in the Book of Jin (《晋书·宣帝纪》), where Sima Yi was described as 'like a corpse with only remaining breath, his spirit already departed.' At the time, Cao Wei's regent Cao Shuang and his faction dismissed Sima Yi as powerless and near death, believing he posed no threat. In reality, Sima Yi was biding his time and later launched a coup that toppled Cao Shuang. The phrase thus became a cautionary reference to underestimating a seemingly powerless adversary.
💡 Example Usage
他久病缠身，如今尸居余气，恐怕撑不过这个冬天了。
Long plagued by illness, he is now like a corpse with only his last breath left, and I fear he will not survive this winter.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 尸居余气
- Pinyin: shī jū yú qì
- Literal Translation: corpse, dwell, remaining, breath
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4