一无所有

一無所有
yīwúsuǒyǒu
idiom HSK 7 #4,907

Meanings

  1. 1 to have nothing
  2. 2 to be penniless
  3. 3 not to have a thing to one's name

Characters

Literally 'completely without anything one has' — to have nothing at all

Examples

Tā shīqù le yīqiè, xiànzài yīwúsuǒyǒu.
He lost everything and now has nothing.
Wǒ lái zhège chéngshì de shíhou yīwúsuǒyǒu.
I had nothing when I came to this city.

Tips

usage
一无所有 is often used to describe someone who is completely broke or has lost everything. It can be used literally (material possessions) or figuratively (emotional emptiness).
memory
Think: 'one () nothing () that-which () have ()' — even that one thing you might have? Nothing.

Stroke Order

suǒ
yǒu