叫苦不迭

jiàokǔbùdié

idiom #89,650

Meanings

1 to complain endlessly
2 to groan without stopping
3 to cry out in distress over and over

Characters

bitter; suffering

to stop (in 不迭 idiom)

Examples

天气太热，工人们在工地上叫苦不迭。

Tiānqì tài rè, gōngrén men zài gōngdì shàng jiàokǔbùdié.

The weather was so hot that the workers on the site couldn't stop complaining.

考试难得超出预期，考生们叫苦不迭。

Kǎoshì nán de chāochū yùqī, kǎoshēng men jiàokǔbùdié.

The exam was harder than expected and the test-takers couldn't stop groaning about it.

物价上涨，老百姓叫苦不迭。

Wùjià shàngzhǎng, lǎobǎixìng jiàokǔbùdié.

With prices rising, ordinary people were complaining without end.

Tips

history

Attested in the Song-dynasty 《大宋宣和遗事》: 徽宗叫苦不迭，向外榻上忽然惊觉来 — 'Emperor Huizong cried out in distress without pause, then suddenly woke up on his bed.'

memory

不迭 is an older compound meaning 'unable to stop/keep up' (迭 = to alternate; 不迭 = can't catch up, i.e. non-stop). So literally: 'crying out in distress, can't stop'.

Stroke Order

叫 jiào

苦 kǔ

不 bù

迭 dié