命途多舛 A life full of twists and turns
Explanation
指人的命运多有不顺，屡遭挫折。
Refers to a life full of misfortune and setbacks.
Origin Story
话说唐朝时期，有个名叫李白的书生，自幼聪颖过人，诗词歌赋样样精通。他怀揣着满腔抱负，渴望在仕途上有所建树。然而，命运弄人，李白科举考试屡屡落榜，仕途之路异常坎坷。他曾被邀请到朝廷担任翰林待诏，但因得罪权贵而被贬谪。此后，他又多次被征召入朝，却又因各种原因被迫离开。一生漂泊不定，虽才华横溢，却始终未能实现自己的政治抱负，最终郁郁而终，留下了许多千古传诵的诗篇。李白的经历，正应了那句“命途多舛”——他的命运并非一帆风顺，而是充满了不顺和挫折，最终虽留下辉煌的成就，却也留下人生的遗憾。
In ancient China, there was a scholar named Li Bai, who was naturally intelligent and talented in writing poetry and essays. He had high ambitions and longed for a successful career as an official. However, fate played a trick on him. Li Bai repeatedly failed the civil service examinations, and his career path was unusually bumpy. He was once invited to the court to serve as a Hanlin attendant, but he was demoted due to offending powerful figures. Afterwards, he was summoned to court many times, but was forced to leave due to various reasons. His life was marked by constant wandering. Despite his extraordinary talent, he was never able to realize his political ambitions, and eventually died a frustrated life, leaving behind many poems that have been passed down through the ages. Li Bai's experience reflects the idiom "命途多舛" – his life was not crowned with success, but rather with failure and setbacks, leaving behind brilliant achievements, but also unfulfilled aspects.
Usage
形容命运坎坷，屡遭不幸。
Describes a destiny marked by misfortune and setbacks.
Examples
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他的一生命途多舛，饱经磨难。
tā de yīshēng mìngtú duō chuǎn, bǎojīng mónàn
His life was full of misfortunes.
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创业初期，公司命途多舛，几近破产。
chuàngyè chūqī, gōngsī mìngtú duō chuǎn, jǐ jìng pòchǎn
In the early days of the company, the road was bumpy, and bankruptcy was imminent.