人穷志短 rén qióng zhì duǎn Poverty diminishes ambition

Explanation

形容贫穷使人的志向变小。

It describes how poverty can diminish a person's ambitions.

Origin Story

从前，在一个小山村里，住着一位名叫李二的年轻人。他自幼家贫，父母双亡，只留下他孤身一人，靠着微薄的收入艰难地维持生计。他从小就梦想成为一名技艺精湛的木匠，但是由于生活所迫，他不得不放弃学艺，每天起早贪黑地劳作。许多人都劝他放弃梦想，认为人穷志短，穷人是没有资格追求梦想的。李二虽然也感到迷茫和困惑，但他始终没有放弃自己的梦想，他相信只要坚持努力，总有一天能够实现自己的理想。他利用一切可以利用的时间学习木工技艺，不断地练习，日复一日，年复一年。终于，经过多年的努力，他的技艺日益精湛，成为了远近闻名的木匠。他的故事也激励着许多和他有着同样经历的人，让他们明白，人穷志不短，贫困并不能阻止一个人追求梦想的脚步。

cóng qián, zài yīgè xiǎo shān cūn lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi míng jiào lǐ èr de nián qīng rén. tā zì yòu jiā pín, fùmǔ shuāng wáng, zhǐ liú xià tā gū shēn yī rén, kào zhe wēi bó de shōu rù jiān nán de wéichí shēngjì. tā cóng xiǎo jiù mèngxiǎng chéngwéi yī míng jì yì jīng zhàn de mù jiàng, dànshì yóuyú shēnghuó suǒ pò, tā bùdé bù fàng qì xué yì, měi tiān qǐ zǎo tān hēi de láo zuò. xǔ duō rén dōu quàn tā fàng qì mèngxiǎng, rènwéi rén qióng zhì duǎn, qióng rén shì méiyǒu zīgé zhuīqiú mèngxiǎng de. lǐ èr suīrán yě gǎndào mí máng hé kùnhuò, dàn tā shǐzhōng méiyǒu fàng qì zìjǐ de mèngxiǎng, tā xiāngxìn zhǐyào jiānchí nǔlì, zǒng yǒu yī tiān nénggòu shíxiàn zìjǐ de lǐxiǎng. tā lìyòng yīqiè kěyǐ lìyòng de shíjiān xuéxí mù gōng jì yì, bùduàn de liànxí, rì fù yī rì, nián fù yī nián. zhōngyú, jīngguò duō nián de nǔlì, tā de jì yì rì yì jīng zhàn, chéngwéi le yuǎn jìn wénmíng de mù jiàng. tā de gùshì yě jīlì zhe xǔ duō hé tā yǒu zhe tóng yàng jīnglì de rén, ràng tāmen míngbái, rén qióng zhì bù duǎn, pínkùn bìng bù néng zǔzhǐ yīgè rén zhuīqiú mèngxiǎng de jiǎobù.

Once upon a time, in a small mountain village, there lived a young man named Li Er. He was poor since childhood, his parents died young, leaving him alone to survive on meager income. Since childhood, he dreamed of becoming a skilled carpenter, but because of his poverty, he had to give up his apprenticeship and worked every day from dawn till dusk. Many people advised him to give up his dream, thinking that poverty dampened ambition and that poor people were not entitled to pursue their dreams. Although Li Er also felt confused, he never gave up his dream. He believed that as long as he persisted, he would one day realize his ideal. He used all the time he could to learn carpentry skills, practicing tirelessly, day after day, year after year. Finally, after years of hard work, his skills became increasingly sophisticated, and he became a well-known carpenter. His story also inspired many people with similar experiences, making them understand that poverty does not dampen one's ambition, and poverty cannot stop a person from pursuing their dreams.

Usage

常用来形容穷人因为生活窘迫而使志向变小。

cháng yòng lái xíngróng qióng rén yīnwèi shēnghuó jiǒng pò ér shǐ zhìxiàng biàn xiǎo.

It's often used to describe how poverty can cause people to lose ambition due to their difficult living conditions.

Examples

• 人穷志短，他只能在家种地维持生计。

  rén qióng zhì duǎn, tā zhǐ néng zài jiā zhòng dì wéichí shēngjì.

  Poverty can dampen one's ambition; he can only farm at home to make ends meet.

• 他虽然家境贫寒，但人穷志不短，依然努力追求自己的梦想

  tā suīrán jiā jìng pín hán, dàn rén qióng zhì bù duǎn, yīrán nǔlì zhuīqiú zìjǐ de mèngxiǎng

  Although his family is poor, he is not short of ambition and still strives for his dreams

Related Idioms

• 人穷智短

• 穷困潦倒

Opposite Idioms

• 人穷志不穷

• 贫贱不移