愁眉苦脸 chóu méi kǔ liǎn Frown

Explanation

形容人面带忧愁，表情苦闷。

Describes someone who looks sad and troubled.

Origin Story

在一个繁华的城市里，住着一位名叫小李的年轻书生，他天生聪慧，但性格却有些优柔寡断。小李从小就立志考取功名，光宗耀祖，然而他每次考试都名落孙山，屡试不第。一次又一次的失败，让小李备受打击，他整天愁眉苦脸，闷闷不乐，连朋友邀约都懒得出去。小李的父母看在眼里，疼在心里，他们想尽办法鼓励小李，但小李总是说自己没有天分，注定要失败。 有一天，小李在街上闲逛，无意间听到两个老人在聊天，他们正在讨论一个故事。这个故事讲的是，在古代，有一位名叫苏秦的读书人，他年轻的时候，非常穷困潦倒，但他立志改变命运，于是每天苦读经书，最终考取功名，成为一代名臣。小李听完故事，心中豁然开朗，他意识到，自己不能因为一次两次的失败而放弃梦想，应该继续努力，坚持不懈。 小李回到家中，他不再愁眉苦脸，而是重新振作起来，他发誓要像苏秦一样，刻苦学习，最终取得成功。他每天早起晚睡，废寝忘食地读书，终于在三年后，考上了进士。小李的故事告诉我们，面对挫折，我们要保持乐观的心态，不能轻易放弃梦想，只要坚持不懈，终会有所收获。

zài yī gè fán huá de chéng shì lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi míng jiào xiǎo lǐ de nián qīng shū shēng, tā tiān shēng cōng huì, dàn xìng gé què yǒu xiē yōu róu guǎ duàn. xiǎo lǐ cóng xiǎo jiù lì zhì kǎo qǔ gōng míng, guāng zōng zǔ zǔ, rán ér tā měi cì kǎo shì dōu míng luò sūn shān, lǚ shì bù dì. yī cì yī cì de shī bài, ràng xiǎo lǐ bèi shòu dǎ jī, tā zhěng tiān chóu méi kǔ liǎn, mèn mèn bù lè, lián péng yǒu yāo yuē dōu lǎn de chū qù. xiǎo lǐ de fù mǔ kàn zài yǎn lǐ, téng zài xīn lǐ, tā men xiǎng jìn bàn fǎ gǔ lì xiǎo lǐ, dàn xiǎo lǐ zǒng shì shuō zì jǐ méi yǒu tiān fèn, zhù dìng yào shī bài. yǒu yī tiān, xiǎo lǐ zài jiē shàng xián guàng, wú yì jiān tīng dào liǎng gè lǎo rén zài liáo tiān, tā men zhèng zài tǎo lùn yī gè gù shì. zhè gè gù shì jiǎng de shì, zài gǔ dài, yǒu yī wèi míng jiào sū qín de dú shū rén, tā nián qīng de shí hòu, fēi cháng qióng kùn liáo dǎo, dàn tā lì zhì gǎi biàn mìng yùn, yú shì měi tiān kǔ dú jīng shū, zhōng jiū kǎo qǔ gōng míng, chéng wéi yī dài míng chén. xiǎo lǐ tīng wán gù shì, xīn zhōng huò rán kāi lǎng, tā yì shí dào, zì jǐ bù néng yīn wèi yī cì liǎng cì de shī bài ér fàng qì mèng xiǎng, yīng gāi jì xù nǔ lì, jiān chí bù xiè. xiǎo lǐ huí dào jiā zhōng, tā bù zài chóu méi kǔ liǎn, ér shì chóng xīn zhèn zhuó qǐ lái, tā fā shì yào xiàng sū qín yī yàng, kè kǔ xué xí, zhōng jiū qǔ dé chéng gōng. tā měi tiān zǎo qǐ wǎn shuì, fèi qǐn wàng shí de dú shū, zhōng yú zài sān nián hòu, kǎo shàng le jìn shì. xiǎo lǐ de gù shì gào sù wǒ men, miàn duì cuò zhí, wǒ men yào bǎo chí lè guān de xīn tài, bù néng qīng yì fàng qì mèng xiǎng, zhǐ yào jiān chí bù xiè, zhōng yǒu jiāng yǒu suǒ shōu huò.

In a bustling city, there lived a young scholar named Xiao Li. He was naturally intelligent but a bit indecisive. Xiao Li had long aspired to pass the imperial examinations and bring honor to his ancestors, but he failed every time. Each failure dealt him a heavy blow, and he was always sad and listless, even ignoring invitations from friends. Xiao Li's parents watched with heartache and tried every means to encourage him, but he always said he was not talented and destined to fail. One day, as Xiao Li was strolling through the streets, he overheard two old men chatting. They were discussing a story. The story was about a scholar named Su Qin, who was very poor and desperate in his youth. But he was determined to change his fate, so he studied hard every day and finally passed the imperial examinations, becoming a renowned minister. Xiao Li listened to the story and felt a sudden sense of relief. He realized that he shouldn't give up his dream just because he had failed once or twice, but should continue working hard and persevering. When he returned home, he was no longer sad but regained his spirits. He vowed to study as hard as Su Qin and eventually succeed. He got up early and went to bed late, studying tirelessly and forgetting everything around him. Finally, three years later, he passed the civil service examination. Xiao Li's story teaches us that in the face of setbacks, we should maintain an optimistic attitude, not give up our dreams easily, but persevere. Only then will we eventually succeed.

Usage

形容人面带忧愁，表情苦闷，多用于表示心情不好，忧虑重重。

xíng róng rén miàn dài yōu chóu, biǎo qíng kǔ mèn, duō yòng yú biǎo shì xīn qíng bù hǎo, yōu lǜ chóng chóng.

Describes someone who looks sad and troubled. It is often used to express a bad mood, worries, or anxieties.

Examples

• 看到他那愁眉苦脸的样子，我忍不住上前询问发生了什么事。

  kàn dào tā nà chóu méi kǔ liǎn de yàng zi, wǒ bù rěn de shàng qián xún wèn fā shēng le shén me shì.

  Seeing his sorrowful expression, I couldn't help but ask what happened.

• 她考试没考好，愁眉苦脸的，连饭也吃不下。

  tā kǎo shì méi kǎo hǎo, chóu méi kǔ liǎn de, lián fàn yě chī bù xià.

  She didn't do well on the exam, and she's been gloomy ever since, even unable to eat.

• 他工作压力很大，每天都愁眉苦脸的。

  tā gōng zuò yā lì hěn dà, měi tiān dōu chóu méi kǔ liǎn de.

  He's under a lot of work pressure and is always frowning.

Related Idioms

• 愁眉锁眼

• 愁眉不展

• 愁容满面

Opposite Idioms

• 笑逐颜开

• 喜笑颜开

• 眉开眼笑