潦倒

liáodǎo

adjective #14,781

Meanings

他失业后生活非常潦倒。

Tā shīyè hòu shēnghuó fēicháng liáodǎo.

After losing his job, his life became very wretched.

杜甫晚年穷困潦倒。

Dù Fǔ wǎnnián qióngkùn liáodǎo.

Du Fu spent his later years in poverty and destitution.

usage

潦倒 describes being down and out, both financially and spiritually. It often collocates with 穷困 to form 穷困潦倒, emphasizing extreme poverty and despair.

history

The poet Du Fu (杜甫) is the classic example of 潦倒 in Chinese literature - a brilliant poet who spent much of his life poor and wandering.

潦 liáo

倒 dǎo