📖 Meaning
"Four seas" refers to all corners of the land, while "piao ling" likens a person to a withered leaf drifting on the wind. The idiom describes someone wandering from place to place without a home, destitute, and with no one to rely on. It conveys both physical homelessness and emotional forlornness.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from Chapter 28 of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" by Luo Guanzhong of the Ming dynasty. The general Zhao Yun speaks these words, recounting how he repeatedly wished to join Liu Bei but feared offending Yuan Shao, and thus wandered across the land with no place to take shelter. By chance he came upon this place, where he killed Pei Yuanshao, who had tried to seize his horse, and stayed there temporarily. The line captures the plight of a loyal warrior without a master to serve.
💡 Example Usage
战乱之中,他四海飘零,直到投奔明主才得以安身。
Amidst the chaos of war, he wandered destitute across the land, only finding a place to settle after joining a wise master.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 四海飘零
- Pinyin: sì hǎi piāo líng
- Literal Translation: four, seas, drift, scatter
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4