📖 Meaning
Describes a person or animal so emaciated that their bones visibly protrude, giving the body a sharp, angular appearance. The imagery evokes the ridged outlines of a starved frame where every bone is discernible through the skin.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom appears in Zhou Libo's landmark modern novel The Hurricane (暴风骤雨, 1948), Part One, Chapter 9, which depicts land reform in northeastern China. The original passage describes a character's wife who was thin and bony, worrying all day long about rice, firewood, and salt. The expression also appears in Wang Xiyan's short story collection Melancholy of the Ancient City (古城的忧郁), where it portrays a gaunt, ghostly figure with sharply protruding shoulders.
💡 Example Usage
那匹老马瘦骨梭棱，却仍倔强地拉着沉重的车。
The old horse was so emaciated its bones jutted out sharply, yet it stubbornly pulled the heavy cart.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 瘦骨梭棱
- Pinyin: shòu gǔ léng léng
- Literal Translation: thin, bone, ridged, ridged
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4