寝苫枕块 sleep on straw and stone
Explanation
指睡在草荐上，头枕着土块。古时丧葬制度中，孝子为表达对父母的哀思，所采取的一种极其简朴的丧葬礼仪。
It refers to sleeping on a straw mat and resting one's head on a stone. In ancient funeral rituals, filial sons adopted this extremely simple funeral ritual to express their sorrow over the death of their parents.
Origin Story
话说东汉时期，有个孝子名叫王祥，他母亲去世后，为了表达对母亲的思念，他遵从古礼，在母亲坟前搭了个简陋的草棚，日夜守灵。为了表达自己悲痛的心情，他甚至在草地上铺了些干草，枕着石头，不吃好，不睡好，就这样日夜守在母亲坟前，一直过了三年，直到守孝期满。他的行为感动了上天，也感动了他周围的人们，成为一段千古流传的孝子故事。
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, there lived a filial son named Wang Xiang. After his mother passed away, to express his longing for his mother, he followed the ancient rites, setting up a simple straw shed in front of his mother's grave and guarding it day and night. To express his sorrow, he even lay on the grass, used stones as a pillow, and hardly ate or slept well. Thus, he guarded his mother's grave day and night until the mourning period was over, three years later. His actions moved heaven and those around him, becoming an ancient story of a filial son.
Usage
用于描写丧葬的场景，以及表达对逝者深深的哀思。
Used to describe funeral scenes and express deep sorrow for the deceased.
Examples
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老王为尽孝道，守灵期间寝苫枕块，令人敬佩。
lǎo wáng wèi jǐn xiào dào, shǒu líng qī jiān qǐn shān zhěn kuài, lìng rén jìng pèi.
Old Wang showed his filial piety by sleeping on straw and stones during the wake.
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他为表达哀思，寝苫枕块，三天三夜没合眼。
tā wèi biǎo dá āi sī, qǐn shān zhěn kuài, sān tiān sān yè méi hé yǎn.
To express his grief, he slept on straw and stones, three nights and three days without closing his eyes.