天昏地黑 tiān hūn dì hēi Dark sky, dark earth

Explanation

形容天色昏暗，一片漆黑，多用于描写风雨交加或暴风雨来临时的景象，也比喻局势混乱险恶。

Describes a very dark, gloomy sky, often in connection with storms or a threatening situation.

Origin Story

传说很久以前，在一个偏僻的小山村，住着一位名叫阿牛的年轻樵夫。一日，阿牛上山砍柴，天色渐渐暗了下来，乌云密布，狂风大作。转眼间，天昏地黑，倾盆大雨从天而降。阿牛冒着风雨，艰难地往山下走，突然，一道闪电划破长空，照亮了前方，阿牛看到一个巨大的树洞，来不及多想，他急忙躲了进去。雨越下越大，风越刮越猛，山上的树木摇曳不定，发出阵阵恐怖的声响，天昏地黑，仿佛世界末日来临。阿牛紧紧地抱着自己的柴刀，瑟瑟发抖，心中充满了恐惧。不知过了多久，雨过天晴，阳光普照大地，阿牛才从树洞里出来，惊魂未定。他望着被雨水冲刷得干干净净的山林，深深地吸了一口气，庆幸自己平安无事。从此以后，阿牛更加敬畏自然，珍惜生命。

chuán shuō hěn jiǔ yǐ qián, zài yī gè piān pì de xiǎo shān cūn, zhù zhe yī wèi míng jiào ā niú de nián qīng qiáo fū. yī rì, ā niú shàng shān kǎn chái, tiān sè jiàn jiàn àn le xià lái, wū yún mì bù, kuáng fēng dà zuò. zhuǎn yǎn jiān, tiān hūn dì hēi, qīng pén dà yǔ cóng tiān ér jiàng. ā niú mào zhe fēng yǔ, jiān nán de wǎng shān xià zǒu, tū rán, yī dào shǎn diàn huà pò cháng kōng, zhào liàng le qián fāng, ā niú kàn dào yī gè jù dà de shù dòng, lái bù jí duō xiǎng, tā jí máng dǒ le jìn qù. yǔ yuè xià yuè dà, fēng yuè guā yuè měng, shān shàng de shù mù yáo yè bù dìng, fā chū zhèn zhèn kǒng bù de shēng xiǎng, tiān hūn dì hēi, fǎng fú shì jiè mò rì lái lín. ā niú jǐn jǐn de bào zhe zì jǐ de chái dāo, sè sè dǒu, xīn zhōng chōng mǎn le kǒng jù. bù zhī guò le duō jiǔ, yǔ guò tiān qíng, yáng guāng pǔ zhào dà dì, ā niú cái cóng shù dòng lǐ chū lái, jīng hún wèi dìng. tā wàng zhe bèi yǔ shuǐ chōng shuā de gān gān jìng jìng de shān lín, shēn shēn de xī le yī kǒng qì, qìng xìng zì jǐ píng ān wú shì. cóng cǐ yǐ hòu, ā niú gèng jiā jìng wèi zì rán, zhēn xī shēng mìng.

Legend has it that a long time ago, in a remote mountain village, there lived a young woodcutter named An Niu. One day, An Niu went up the mountain to cut wood, and as the sky gradually darkened, dark clouds gathered, and a strong wind began to blow. In an instant, it was pitch black, and torrential rain poured down from the sky. An Niu struggled to walk down the mountain in the wind and rain. Suddenly, a flash of lightning cut through the sky, illuminating the path ahead. An Niu saw a huge tree hole. Without much thought, he hurried into it. The rain got heavier and heavier, and the wind blew harder and harder. The trees on the mountain swayed, making terrible noises. It was pitch black, as if the end of the world had come. An Niu held his axe tightly and trembled with fear. After what seemed like a long time, the rain stopped and the sun shone on the earth. An Niu came out of the tree hole, still shaken. He looked at the forest, which had been washed clean by the rain, took a deep breath, and was grateful to be safe. From then on, An Niu revered nature and cherished life even more.

Usage

常用作谓语、宾语、状语，形容天色昏暗或社会动荡不安的景象。

cháng yòng zuò wèi yǔ, bīn yǔ, zhuàng yǔ, xiáng róng tiān sè hūn àn huò shè huì dòng dàng bù ān de jǐng xiàng.

Often used as a predicate, object, or adverbial, to describe a dark sky or a turbulent social situation.

Examples

• 暴风雨来临，天昏地黑，能见度极低。

  bào fēng yǔ lái lín, tiān hūn dì hēi, néng jiàn dù jí dī

  During the storm, it was pitch black.

• 那场战争打的天昏地黑，百姓流离失所。

  nà chǎng zhàn zhēng dǎ de tiān hūn dì hēi, bǎi xìng liú lí shī suǒ

  That war led to a time of darkness and suffering for the people

Related Idioms

• 天昏地暗

• 乌云密布

Opposite Idioms

• 阳光明媚

• 晴空万里