📖 Meaning
Describes speech or behavior that is extremely harsh, venomous, and bitterly cruel. The visceral imagery of chiseling into bone and pounding marrow conveys a deep, painful level of cruelty, typically used for scathing verbal attacks.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Qing dynasty novel 'Xingshi Yinyuan Zhuan' (醒世姻缘传) by Xi Zhousheng. In Chapter 16, it describes a tutor who would fiercely and venomously curse someone out before immediately packing up his book chest and leaving. The phrase employs the graphic metaphor of chiseling bone and pounding marrow to depict the extreme bitterness and cruelty of the verbal assault.
💡 Example Usage
那恶妇凿骨捣髓地咒骂了半天，将人贬得一文不值。
That vicious woman cursed venomously for a long time, degrading the person as worthless.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 凿骨捣髓
- Pinyin: záo gǔ dǎo suǐ
- Literal Translation: chisel bone, pound marrow
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4