伤筋动骨

傷筋動骨

shāngjīndònggǔ

idiom

Meanings

1 to injure tendons and bones
2 (literal) to suffer serious physical injury; (figurative) to take a major hit, sustain serious damage

Characters

to move; affect

Examples

他从楼梯上摔下来，幸好没伤筋动骨。

Tā cóng lóutī shàng shuāi xiàlái, xìnghǎo méi shāngjīndònggǔ.

He fell down the stairs, but luckily nothing was seriously broken.

这次裁员对公司来说是伤筋动骨。

Zhè cì cáiyuán duì gōngsī lái shuō shì shāngjīndònggǔ.

This round of layoffs is a serious blow to the company.

Tips

history

From the Yuan zaju《蝴蝶梦》, second act: 打得来伤筋动骨，更疼似悬头刺股 — beaten until tendon and bone are damaged, more painful than the famous classical self-discipline ordeals.

usage

The figurative use (major institutional damage) is now common in news writing about reforms, restructurings, and layoffs.

Stroke Order

伤 shāng

筋 jīn

动 dòng

骨 gǔ