📖 Meaning
The body is shattered and the bones crushed to powder. It denotes death, especially dying for a noble cause or devoting oneself entirely to a purpose. Often used to express willingness to sacrifice one's life.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Dunhuang Bianwen literature, specifically the 'Miaofa Lianhua Jing Jiangjing Wen' (妙法莲华经讲经文) preserved in the Dunhuang Bianwen Ji (敦煌变文集), a collection of Tang and Five Dynasties popular lecture texts. In this Buddhist lecture text, the speaker vows that even if his body were shattered and bones crushed, he would not go against his word and would devotedly serve. The idiom later became a literary expression of ultimate self-sacrifice and was used by Song dynasty poets such as Qin Guan in his ci poem 'Man Ting Fang · Yong Cha' (满庭芳·咏茶).
💡 Example Usage
为了家国大义，纵然碎身粉骨，他也绝不退缩。
For the sake of his homeland and honor, even if it meant his body being shattered and bones crushed, he would never retreat.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 碎身粉骨
- Pinyin: suì shēn fěn gǔ
- Literal Translation: shattered body, powdered bones
- Category: Determination
- Characters: 4