颗粒无收

顆粒無收

kēlìwúshōu

idiom

Meanings

1 not a single grain harvested
2 a total crop failure
3 (figurative) to come away with nothing

Characters

(measure word for small round things)

not have; without

to harvest; to gather

Examples

今年大旱,农田颗粒无收。

Jīnnián dà hàn, nóngtián kē lì wú shōu.

This year's great drought left the farmland without a single grain.

蝗灾过后,这片地颗粒无收。

Huángzāi guò hòu, zhè piàn dì kē lì wú shōu.

After the locust plague, this field yielded nothing.

忙了一整年,结果颗粒无收,大家都很失望。

Máng le yì zhěng nián, jiéguǒ kē lì wú shōu, dàjiā dōu hěn shīwàng.

After a full year of work, they came away with nothing — everyone was very disappointed.

Tips

usage

Primarily literal — describes crop failure after drought, flood, or pests. The figurative 'come away with nothing' sense (from a project or investment) is common but secondary.

memory

颗粒 = 'grains' (of rice or wheat), 无收 = 'no harvest'. Picture an empty threshing floor — not a single grain to gather.

Stroke Order

颗 kē

粒 lì

无 wú

收 shōu