extremely poor; destitute
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
extremely poor; destitute; having nothing but bare walls
literaryDescribes a state of extreme poverty. Often used to emphasize the emptiness and lack of possessions in a home. The structure "家徒..." is fixed; other variations like "家徒壁立" also exist.
Tā他
zǎo早
nián年
sàng丧
fù父
，
jiā家
tú徒
sì四
bì壁
，
shēng生
huó活
shí十
fēn分
jiān艰
kǔ苦
。
He lost his father early in life, his family was destitute, and life was very hard.
Yī一
chǎng场
dà大
huǒ火
guò过
hòu后
，
tā他
jiā家
biàn变
dé得
jiā家
tú徒
sì四
bì壁
。
After a big fire, his home was left with nothing but four bare walls.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Zhè这
wèi位
wěi伟
dà大
de的
zuò作
jiā家
chū出
shēn身
yú于
yī一
gè个
jiā家
tú徒
sì四
bì壁
de的
nóng农
mín民
jiā家
tíng庭
。
This great writer came from a peasant family that was utterly destitute.