utterly destitute; in abject poverty
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
utterly destitute; in abject poverty; having nothing but the bare walls of one's house
literaryLiterally 'the house has only four walls.' Used to describe extreme poverty where a person possesses almost nothing. Can be used interchangeably with '家徒壁立'.
Fù父
qīn亲
qù去
shì世
hòu后
，
tā他
jiā家
dào道
zhōng中
luò落
，
biàn变
dé得
jiā家
tú徒
sì四
bì壁
。
After his father passed away, his family fortunes declined, and he became utterly destitute.
Dì地
zhèn震
guò过
hòu后
，
xǔ许
duō多
zāi灾
mín民
jiā家
tú徒
sì四
bì壁
，
jí急
xū需
jiù救
yuán援
。
After the earthquake, many victims were left in abject poverty and urgently needed relief.
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Tā他
nián年
qīng轻
shí时
hěn很
fù富
yǒu有
，
dàn但
tóu投
zī资
shī失
bài败
hòu后
jiù就
jiā家
tú徒
sì四
bì壁
le了
。
He was very wealthy when he was young, but after his investment failed, he was left with nothing.