📖 Meaning
The five grains do not grow, referring to a year of crop failure and famine. It describes a situation where agriculture fails entirely and the people face severe hardship. The phrase is used to characterize times of devastating natural disaster.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from the Guliang Zhuan (谷梁传), a classical commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals dating from the Warring States period. In the entry for the 24th year of Duke Xiang of Lu, the text states '五谷不升，谓之大侵' — when the five grains fail to grow, it is called a great calamity. The Guliang Zhuan was one of three major commentaries interpreting the Spring and Autumn Annals, compiled during the Han dynasty. The phrase thus became a classical expression for severe famine conditions.
💡 Example Usage
那年大旱，五谷不升，百姓流离失所。
That year a great drought struck, the crops failed to grow, and the people were left displaced and homeless.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 五谷不升
- Pinyin: wǔ gǔ bù shēng
- Literal Translation: five, grains, not, rise/grow
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4