Nànmín diān pèi liú lí, xīwàng néng zhǎodào yí ge ānshēn zhī chù.
The refugees wander in destitution, hoping to find somewhere to settle.
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Built from 《诗经·大雅·荡》 ('颠沛之揭', the toppled tree torn up by the roots) and 《汉书·薛广德传》 (people 流离, drifting and homeless, in the troubled east). The two ancient phrases fused into the modern idiom.
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Heavy and literary — for genuine displacement caused by war, famine, persecution, or family disaster. Don't use it lightly for moving cities or changing jobs.
