一贫如洗

一貧如洗

yīpínrúxǐ

idiom #23,627

Meanings

1 penniless
2 dirt poor
3 as poor as a church mouse
4 utterly destitute

Characters

one / utter / complete

to wash / washed clean

Examples

他创业失败后，一贫如洗。

Tā chuàngyè shībài hòu, yīpín rúxǐ.

After his business failed, he was left completely penniless.

战争结束后，这个家庭一贫如洗。

Zhànzhēng jiéshù hòu, zhège jiātíng yīpín rúxǐ.

After the war ended, the family was utterly destitute.

Tips

memory

一贫如洗 means 'poverty like (having been) washed clean' — imagine everything of value having been rinsed away. Nothing is left, just as water washes away all traces. 洗 (xǐ) = to wash; the image is of a person stripped bare by poverty.

Stroke Order

一 yī

贫 pín

如 rú

洗 xǐ