Student's Ten-Use Idiom Dictionary

Author: Chief Editor: Lian Shusheng et al
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-03-01
Features: Excerpt: A [Victory of the Sorrowful Army] [Structure] Subject-predicate. An army that rises in rebellion after being humiliated and filled with grief is certain to win. Sorrowful, sad. Army, troops. [Example] Although the Japanese invading army was well-equipped, it was ultimately defeated by the Eighth Route Army with because of～. [Source] Laozi: "Therefore, when two armies are evenly matched in strength, the sorrowful will prevail." [Antonym] Defeat of the Proud Army [Category] 52. (1) [Sorrowful but Not Heartbroken] [Structure] Compound. Sorrowful but not excessively heartbroken. Often describes poetry, music, etc., that contains a subtle, elegant sorrowful tone yet maintains a moderate level of emotion, not overly. Sorrowful, sad. Heartbroken, grieving, also refers to excessive sorrow. [Example] The song "Songhua River" expresses the suffering of the people losing their homes and being displaced, but it～, igniting the resistance of countless anti-Japanese martyrs. [Source] Analects of Confucius, Book 8: "Guanzi is joyful but not licentious, sorrowful but not heartbroken." [Antonym] Emaciated by Sorrow [Category] 10. (5) [Sorrowful and Destitute Everywhere] [Structure] Subject-predicate. A metaphor for destitute and crying famine-stricken people scattered everywhere in times of natural disasters and human calamities. Sorrowful and destitute, crying wild geese. A metaphor for famine-stricken disaster victims. [Example] In the old society, whenever there was a natural disaster or calamity, the poor and destitute had to flee and beg, displaced and homeless. The scene of barren fields and～ was unbearable to behold. [Source] Book of Songs, Small Yue: "Wild geese fly, crying aloud." [Synonym] Starving Corpses on the Roads [Category] 68. [Emaciated by Sorrow] [Structure] Compound. Originally referred to damage to the body due to excessive sorrow during mourning, to the point of being supported only by bones. Now generally refers to excessive sorrow affecting health. [Source] Southern Dynasties, Song Dynasty, Fan Ye, "History of the Later Han Dynasty, Biography of Wei Biao": "His filial piety was pure and devoted. When his parents died, he was emaciated by sorrow, not leaving his coffin for three years, and after completing the mourning period, he was thin and bony, with a strange appearance. After years of treatment, he finally recovered." [Antonym] Sorrowful but Not Heartbroken [Category] 9. [No Greater Sorrow Than a Dead Heart] [Structure] Subject-predicate. Nothing is more sorrowful than a heart that is apathetic and numb. Sorrowful, sad. No greater than, nothing greater than. Dead heart, describes a heart like extinguished ashes. [Example] He spends his days indulging in food and doing nothing, muddling through life in a daze, and that is truly sorrowful, because～. [Source] Zhuangzi, Tian Zi Fang: "No greater sorrow than a dead heart, and death is the second." [Category] 10. (5) [Sorrowful to the Point of Exhaling] [Structure] Supplementary. Sorrowful to the point of near suffocation. Describes sorrow reaching its extreme. Sorrowful, grieving. Exhausted, refers to suffocation, stopping breathing. [Example] When Zhou Enlai's coffin slowly passed through Chang'an Avenue, the crowds on both sides were moved to tears and～. [Synonym] Sorrowful to the Point of Exhaling [Antonym] Joyful and Lively [Category] 10. (5) [Visiting Every Household] [Structure] Compound. Visiting every household, leaving no one out. Visiting, in sequence, one after another. [Example] Lao She, "Four Generations Under One Roof": "Since he became the assistant village head, following Bai Captain～ in collecting copper and iron, his reputation has declined greatly." [Synonym] Visiting Every Doorstep [Category] 55. [Sighing and Complaining] [Structure] Compound. The sound of sighing due to sadness, melancholy, or grief. [Example] He is seen sighing and complaining every day. [Synonym] Sighing and Complaining [Category] 10. (5) [Unable to Let Go of What is Loved] [Structure] Supplementary. Unable to put down beloved items because of love. Let go, release, put down. [Example] Children are always～ with new toys. [Synonym] Unable to Let Go of What is Loved [Note] The "not" in the idiom does not read as "bū." [Category] 11. [Loving Money as Life] [Structure] Subject-predicate. Cherishing money as if cherishing life, describing extreme stinginess. Love, cherish, stingy. [Example] Balzac's character, Gercourt, is a～ miser. [Tone] Derogatory. [Note] "Money" should not be written as "material" or "talent." [Category] 4. (4) [Loving the Rich and Disdaining the Poor] [Structure] Compound. Loving the rich and disdaining the poor. Refers to a mindset that judges people based on wealth. Love, love. Disdain, disdain. [Example] Now that one's horizons have broadened, some people have begun to～. [Tone] Derogatory. [Synonym] Disdaining the Poor and Loving the Rich [Category] 4. (4) [Unable to Help Despite Sympathy] [Structure] Compound. Although sympathetic, unable to offer help. Love, sympathy. [Example] Things have come to this, and I～. [Source] Book of Songs, Great Yue, "Zheng Min": "Love but cannot help." [Category] 11. [Loving the House So Much That One Loves the Crows on It] [Structure] Serial. Loving the house so much that one also loves the crows on it. A metaphor for loving someone so much that one also loves the people or things associated with them. And, to. Crow, crow. [Example] Most people oppose his～ way of doing things. [Source] Shangshu Da Zhuan, Great Battle: "Those who love others also love the crows on their roofs." [Category] 11.