不毛之地 bù máo zhī dì barren land

Explanation

不生长草木庄稼的荒地。形容荒凉、贫瘠。

Barren land that does not grow plants or crops. It describes a desolate and barren area.

Origin Story

公元前597年，楚庄王率军攻打郑国，一举攻破郑国都城，郑襄公见大势已去，只好赤膊上阵，向楚庄王请降，表示愿意割地赔款，并将郑国子民作为奴隶献给楚国，只求楚庄王能给他留下一点不毛之地让他得以生存。楚庄王见郑襄公如此诚恳，便答应了他的请求，让他在荒凉贫瘠之地苟延残喘。消息传到郑国后，百姓都悲叹不已，感叹自己未来的命运。

gōngyuán qián 597 nián, chǔ zhuāng wáng shuài jūn gōng dǎ zhèng guó, yī jǔ gōng pò zhèng guó dū chéng, zhèng xiāng gōng jiàn dà shì yǐ qù, zhǐ hǎo chì bó shàng zhèn, xiàng chǔ zhuāng wáng qǐng jiàng, biǎoshì yuànyì gē dì péi kuǎn, bìng jiāng zhèng guó zǐmín zuòwéi nú lì xiàn gěi chǔ guó, zhǐ qiú chǔ zhuāng wáng néng gěi tā liú xià yī diǎn bù máo zhī dì ràng tā déyǐ shēngcún. chǔ zhuāng wáng jiàn zhèng xiāng gōng rúcǐ chéngkěn, biàn dāyìng le tā de qǐngqiú, ràng tā zài huāngliáng pínjí zhī dì gǒuyán cántuǎn. xiāoxī chuán dào zhèng guó hòu, bǎixìng dōu bēi tàn bù yǐ, gǎntàn zìjǐ wèilái de mìngyùn.

In 597 BC, King Zhuang of Chu led his army to attack the state of Zheng and captured its capital. Zheng Xianggong, seeing the situation was hopeless, had to surrender unconditionally. He offered to cede land and offer the people of Zheng as slaves to Chu, only asking King Zhuang to leave him a small, barren land to survive. King Zhuang of Chu, impressed by Zheng Xianggong's sincerity, agreed to his request, allowing him to eke out a living in a desolate and barren land. The news reached Zheng, causing the people to grieve for their future destiny.

Usage

多用于形容荒凉贫瘠的土地。

duō yòng yú xiáoróng huāngliáng pínjí de tǔdì

Mostly used to describe desolate and barren land.

Examples

• 这片土地曾经是人烟稀少的不毛之地。

  zhè piàn tǔdì céngjīng shì rényān xīshǎo de bù máo zhī dì

  This land was once a barren wasteland.

• 经过几代人的努力，这片不毛之地终于变成了绿洲。

  jīngguò jǐ dài rén de nǔlì, zhè piàn bù máo zhī dì zhōngyú biàn chéng le lǜzhōu

  After generations of effort, this barren land has finally become an oasis..

Related Idioms

• 荒原

• 沙漠

Opposite Idioms

• 沃土

• 富饶之地