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一穷二白

一窮二白
yīqióng'èrbái
idiom #44,556

Meanings

  1. 1 poor and blank
  2. 2 destitute and culturally backward
  3. 3 starting from nothing

Examples

新中国成立之初，国家一穷二白。
Xīn Zhōngguó chénglì zhī chū, guójiā yīqióng'èrbái.
When the new China was first founded, the country was poor and starting from a blank slate.
他白手起家，从一穷二白发展到今天的规模。
Tā báishǒuqǐjiā, cóng yīqióng'èrbái fāzhǎn dào jīntiān de guīmó.
He built his business from scratch, growing from nothing to today's scale.

Tips

usage
穷 = no industry/material wealth; 白 = blank, no education or science. The 二 forces an apostrophe in pinyin: yīqióng'èrbái.

Stroke Order

一 yī
穷 qióng
二 èr
白 bái