叫苦连天 jiào kǔ lián tiān Cry bitterly

Explanation

不住地叫苦，形容痛苦不堪。

To cry bitterly and incessantly, to describe unbearable pain.

Origin Story

从前，有个秀才名叫王大用，一心想考取功名，光宗耀祖。他寒窗苦读十年，仍然屡试不第，连个童生都考不上。十年寒窗，他不仅没有考上功名，反而落得个家徒四壁，负债累累。他整天唉声叹气，叫苦连天，对生活失去了希望。有一天，他去朋友家做客，看到朋友一家其乐融融，生活富足，他羡慕不已，忍不住向朋友诉苦。朋友听了他的遭遇后，并没有安慰他，而是语重心长地对他说："大用啊，你之所以落得如此田地，是因为你只看到眼前的困境，而没有看到未来的希望。你应该振作起来，重新开始，我相信你一定能够成功的。"朋友的一席话，让王大用豁然开朗。他从此不再叫苦连天，而是积极地寻找新的方向，最终通过自己的努力，考取了功名，实现了自己的理想。

cóng qián, yǒu gè xiùcái míng jiào wáng dàyòng, yīxīn xiǎng kǎo qǔ gōngmíng, guāng zōng yàozǔ。tā hánchuāng kǔ dú shí nián, réngrán lǚshì bù dì, lián gè tóngshēng dōu kǎo bù shàng。shí nián hánchuāng, tā bù jǐn méiyǒu kǎo shàng gōngmíng, fǎn'ér luò de gè jiā tú sì bì, fùzhài lěilěi。tā zhěngtiān āi shēng tàn qì, jiào kǔ lián tiān, duì shēnghuó shīqù le xīwàng。yǒu yītiān, tā qù péngyǒu jiā zuò kè, kàn dào péngyǒu yījiā qí lè róng róng, shēnghuó fù zú, tā xiànmù bù yǐ, rěn bù zhù xiàng péngyǒu sù kǔ。péngyǒu tīng le tā de zāoyù hòu, bìng méiyǒu ānwèi tā, ér shì yǔzhòngxīncháng de duì tā shuō：'dàyòng a, nǐ zhī suǒyǐ luò de rúcǐ tiándì, shì yīnwèi nǐ zhǐ kàn dào yǎn qián de kùnjìng, ér méiyǒu kàn dào wèilái de xīwàng。nǐ yīnggāi zhèn zuò qǐlái, chóngxīn kāishǐ, wǒ xiāngxìn nǐ yīdìng nénggòu chénggōng de。' péngyǒu de yī xí huà, ràng wáng dàyòng huòrán kāilǎng。tā cóng cǐ bù zài jiào kǔ lián tiān, ér shì jījí de xún zhǎo xīn de fāngxiàng, zuìzhōng tōngguò zìjǐ de nǔlì, kǎo qǔ le gōngmíng, shíxiàn le zìjǐ de lǐxiǎng。

Once upon a time, there was a scholar named Wang Dayong who desperately wanted to pass the imperial examinations and bring honor to his ancestors. After ten years of arduous study, however, he repeatedly failed the exams and couldn't even become a simple student. Ten years of hard work not only failed to bring him success but left him penniless and deeply in debt. He sighed all day long, complaining bitterly and losing hope in life. One day, he visited a friend's house and saw his friend's family living happily and prosperously, which made him envious and moved him to complain. After listening to Wang's story, his friend didn't comfort him but told him solemnly: "Dayong, the reason for your plight is that you only see the present difficulties but not the future hope. You should cheer up, start again, and I believe you will succeed."

Usage

作谓语、宾语；形容十分痛苦。

zuò wèiyǔ, bǐnyǔ；xióngróng shífēn tòngkǔ。

As predicate or object; describes great pain.

Examples

• 他因为生意失败，每天都叫苦连天。

  tā yīnwèi shēngyì shībài, měitiān dōu jiào kǔ lián tiān。

  He complains bitterly every day because his business failed.

• 面对突如其来的打击，他叫苦连天，不知所措。

  miàn duì tū rú qí lái de dǎjī, tā jiào kǔ lián tiān, bù zhī suǒ cuò。

  Faced with a sudden blow, he cried bitterly and was at a loss.

• 听到这个坏消息，他叫苦连天，情绪低落。

  tīng dào zhège huài xiāoxī, tā jiào kǔ lián tiān, qíngxù dīluò。

  Hearing the bad news, he cried bitterly and was in low spirits.

Related Idioms

• 叫苦不迭

• 痛哭流涕

• 唉声叹气

Opposite Idioms

• 眉开眼笑

• 喜笑颜开

• 兴高采烈