📖 Meaning
Both mind and body are utterly exhausted. It describes a state of complete mental and physical fatigue, often from prolonged stress, overwork, or emotional strain. The idiom emphasizes that exhaustion is total — neither the spirit nor the body has any energy left.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom appears in the modern Chinese writer Bing Xin's (冰心) essay 'Returning South — A Tribute to Mother's Spirit in Heaven' (《南归—贡献给母亲在天之灵》), written in the early 20th century. In the essay, Bing Xin reflects on the grief and exhaustion of caring for her dying mother, lamenting that even with all their heart and strength drained, they could barely repay a fraction of her mother's kindness. The phrase captures the profound weariness of filial devotion pushed to its absolute limit.
💡 Example Usage
连续加班一个月后，他终于心力交瘁地病倒了。
After working overtime for a month straight, he finally collapsed from complete mental and physical exhaustion.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 心力交瘁
- Pinyin: xīn lì jiāo cuì
- Literal Translation: heart, strength, together, weary
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4