📖 Meaning
To cruelly torment and harm the common people. 荼毒 means to poison or inflict suffering, while 生灵 refers to the populace or living beings. The idiom describes rulers, war, or forces that bring great misery upon innocent people.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to the Book of Documents (Shangshu), in the chapter 'Tanggao,' which mentions enduring cruel harm and being unable to bear the torment. The Tang dynasty writer Li Hua employed the full expression in his 'Lament for the Ancient Battlefield' (吊古战场文), writing '荼毒生灵，万里朱殷' — tormenting the living beings until the land for ten thousand li was stained crimson with blood — powerfully depicting the devastating toll of endless warfare upon the common people.
💡 Example Usage
这场战争荼毒生灵，百姓苦不堪言。
This war tormented the common people, leaving the populace in unspeakable misery.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 荼毒生灵
- Pinyin: tú dú shēng líng
- Literal Translation: torment and poison, living beings
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4