颗粒无收

顆粒無收

kēlì-wúshōu

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 kēlìwúshōu.

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

蝗灾过后,这片地颗粒无收。

Huáng zāi guòhòu, zhè piàn dì kēlìwúshōu.

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 zhěngnián, jiéguǒ kēlìwúshōu, 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