人财两空 rén cái liǎng kōng Lose both people and money

Explanation

人财两空是一个汉语成语，意思是人和钱财都无着落或都有损失。它形容人不仅失去了钱财，还失去了人脉、机遇等等，是一种非常惨重的损失。

Rencai liangkong is a Chinese idiom that means that both people and money are lost or have no prospect. It describes that not only money is lost, but also connections, opportunities, etc., which is a huge loss.

Origin Story

很久以前，在一个繁华的城市里，住着一位名叫李大富的商人。他以经商为生，靠着勤劳和智慧，积攒了不少家产。有一天，李大富听说远方有一座金矿，于是便带着所有家当，带着几个伙计前往金矿寻找财富。他们经过千辛万苦，终于找到了金矿，并且开采出大量的黄金。李大富喜不自禁，以为自己即将成为富可敌国的富豪。然而，就在他们庆祝胜利的时候，一群土匪突然出现，将他们团团围住，抢走了所有的黄金，还把李大富的几个伙计全部杀害。李大富逃过一劫，却也失去了所有的财富和亲人，落得人财两空。他孤身一人，回到家乡，从此郁郁寡欢，最终在贫困中度过了余生。

hěn jiǔ yǐ qián, zài yī gè fán huá de chéng shì lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi míng jiào lǐ dà fù de shāng rén. tā yǐ jīng shāng wéi shēng, kào zhe qín láo hé zhì huì, jī cún le bù shǎo jiā chǎn. yǒu yī tiān, lǐ dà fù tīng shuō yuǎn fāng yǒu yī zuò jīn kuàng, yú shì biàn dài zhe suǒ yǒu jiā dàng, dài zhe jǐ gè huǒ ji, qián wǎng jīn kuàng xún zhǎo cái fú. tā men jīng guò qiān xīn wàn kǔ, zhōng yú zhǎo dào le jīn kuàng, bìng qiě kāi cǎi chū dà liàng de huáng jīn. lǐ dà fù xǐ bù zì jìn, yǐ wéi zì jǐ jí jiāng chéng wéi fù kě dí guó de fù háo. rán ér, jiù zài tā men qìng zhù shèng lì de shí hòu, yī qún tǔ fěi tú rán chū xiàn, jiāng tā men tuán tuán wéi zhù, qiǎng zǒu le suǒ yǒu de huáng jīn, hái bǎ lǐ dà fù de jǐ gè huǒ ji quán bù shā hài. lǐ dà fù táo guò yī jié, què yě shī qù le suǒ yǒu de cái fú hé qīn rén, luò de rén cái liǎng kōng. tā gū shēn yī rén, huí dào jiā xiāng, cóng cǐ yù yù guǎ huān, zuì zhōng zài pín kùn zhōng dù guò le yú shēng.

Long ago, in a bustling city, lived a merchant named Li Dafu. He made his living by trading and, through hard work and wisdom, amassed a considerable fortune. One day, Li Dafu heard that there was a gold mine in the distance, and so he set off with all his possessions and several assistants to seek riches. After much hardship, they found the gold mine and mined a large amount of gold. Li Dafu was overjoyed, believing he was about to become a wealthy man who could rival kings. However, just as they were celebrating their victory, a band of bandits suddenly appeared, surrounded them, and stole all the gold. They also killed all of Li Dafu's assistants. Li Dafu escaped, but lost all his wealth and relatives. He was alone and returned to his hometown. From that day on, he was depressed and spent the rest of his life in poverty.

Usage

人财两空常用于形容一个人在经历挫折后，不仅失去了钱财，还失去了人脉、机遇等等，是一种非常惨重的损失。

rén cái liǎng kōng cháng yòng yú xíng róng yī gè rén zài jīng lì cuò zhí hòu, bù jǐn shī qù le qián cái, hái shī qù le rén mài, jī huì děng děng, shì yī zhǒng fēi cháng cǎn zhòng de sǔn shī.

Rencai liangkong is often used to describe someone who has lost not only their money but also their connections, opportunities, etc., after experiencing setbacks, which is a huge loss.

Examples

• 他为了追求梦想，倾家荡产，最终落得人财两空。

  tā wèile zhuī qiú mèng xiǎng, qīng jiā dàng chǎn, zuì zhōng luò de rén cái liǎng kōng.

  He poured all his money into pursuing his dream and ended up with nothing.

• 这个项目失败了，不仅损失了资金，还失去了很多宝贵的人才，真是人财两空。

  zhège xiàng mù shī bài le, bù jǐn sǔn shī le zī jīn, hái shī qù le hěn duō bǎo guì de rén cái, zhēn shì rén cái liǎng kōng.

  The project failed, not only did we lose funds, but we also lost many valuable talents. It was a loss for everyone involved.

Related Idioms

• 一无所有

• 倾家荡产

• 血本无归

Opposite Idioms

• 两全其美

• 皆大欢喜