砸锅卖铁 zá guō mài tiě sell everything

Explanation

比喻倾尽所有，不惜一切代价。

It is used to describe a situation where someone sacrifices everything they have to achieve something or to overcome a difficult situation.

Origin Story

很久以前，在一个偏远的小山村里，住着一户贫穷的农民家庭。家里唯一的儿子患上了重病，需要大量的钱财来治疗。为了救治儿子，父母四处奔走，但始终筹集不到足够的钱。无奈之下，他们决定砸锅卖铁，变卖家中所有的家当，希望能换来儿子的健康。他们把家里的锅碗瓢盆都拿到集市上卖掉，还把仅剩的一块铁犁也卖了，筹集到了足够的钱，最终治好了儿子的病。

hěn jiǔ yǐqián, zài yīgè piānyuǎn de xiǎoshān cūn lǐ, zhù zhe yī hù pínqióng de nóngmín jiātíng. Jiā lǐ wéiyī de érzi huàn shang le chóng bìng, xūyào dàliàng de qiáncái lái zhìliáo. Wèile jiùzhì érzi, fùmǔ sìchù bēnzǒu, dàn shǐzhōng chóují bùdào zúgòu de qián. Wú nài zhī xià, tāmen juédìng zá guō mài tiě, biànmài jiā zhōng suǒyǒu de jiā dàng, xīwàng néng huàn lái érzi de jiànkāng. Tāmen bǎ jiā lǐ de guō wǎn piáopén dōu nǎi dào jìshì shang màidiào, hái bǎ jǐnshèng de yī kuài tiě lí yě mài le, chóují dàole zúgòu de qián, zuìzhōng zhì hǎo le érzi de bìng.

A long time ago, in a remote mountain village, there lived a poor peasant family. Their only son fell seriously ill and needed a large sum of money for treatment. In order to save their son, the parents ran around everywhere, but they could not raise enough money. Desperate, they decided to sell everything they had to buy their son's health. They sold all their pots and pans at the market and even their only iron plow. They managed to raise enough money and eventually cured their son's illness.

Usage

作谓语、宾语；指变卖家产；竭尽全力

zuò wèiyǔ, bǐnyǔ; zhǐ biànmài jiā chǎn; jiéjìn quán lì

Used as a predicate or object; refers to selling off all one's possessions; to do one's utmost

Examples

• 为了孩子的教育，他砸锅卖铁也要供孩子上学。

  Wèile háizi de jiàoyù, tā zá guō mài tiě yě yào gōng háizi shàngxué。

  He would do anything to support his child's education.

• 为了治病，他不得不砸锅卖铁，倾尽所有积蓄。

  Wèile zhì bìng, tā bùdé bù zá guō mài tiě, qīngjìn suǒyǒu jīxù。

  In order to cure the disease, he had to sell everything he owned to support his treatment

Related Idioms

• 倾家荡产

• 竭尽全力

Opposite Idioms

• 坐享其成

• 不劳而获