mud and charcoal; extreme hardship
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesnoun
mud and charcoal; metaphor for extreme suffering or distress
literaryLiterary term often used in the idiom 生灵涂炭.
Bǎi百
xìng姓
xiàn陷
yú于
tú涂
tàn炭
，
jí亟
dài待
jiù救
yuán援
。
The people are plunged into misery and urgently await rescue.
Lián连
nián年
zhàn战
luàn乱
shǐ使
zhè这
piàn片
tǔ土
dì地
shēng生
líng灵
tú涂
tàn炭
。
Years of war have brought great suffering to the people of this land.
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Tā他
men们
bù不
gān甘
yú于
rěn忍
shòu受
tú涂
tàn炭
zhī之
kǔ苦
，
fèn奋
qǐ起
fǎn反
kàng抗
。
Unwilling to endure the misery, they rose up in resistance.
verb
to ravage; to plunge into misery; to bring suffering upon
literaryTransitive verb taking objects such as 百姓 or 生灵.
Bào暴
jūn君
tú涂
tàn炭
bǎi百
xìng姓
，
zhōng终
zhì致
wáng亡
guó国
。
The tyrant brought suffering to the people, ultimately leading to the downfall of the state.
Dí敌
jūn军
suǒ所
dào到
zhī之
chù处
，
tú涂
tàn炭
shēng生
líng灵
。
Wherever the enemy troops went, they ravaged the populace.
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Quán权
lì力
ruò若
bù不
shòu受
yuē约
shù束
，
bì必
jiāng将
tú涂
tàn炭
wú无
gū辜
。
Power without restraint will surely bring suffering to the innocent.