流离失所

流離失所

liúlí-shīsuǒ

idiom #31,320

Meanings

1 to be forced from home and wander about
2 homeless and displaced
3 destitute and rootless

Characters

to leave; be separated

Examples

HSK 4

战争让无数百姓流离失所。

Zhànzhēng ràng wúshù bǎixìng liúlí-shīsuǒ.

The war left countless civilians homeless and displaced.

HSK 6

洪水过后，许多家庭流离失所。

Hóngshuǐ guòhòu, xǔduō jiātíng liúlí-shīsuǒ.

After the flood, many families were left without a home.

HSK 7-9

难民流离失所，亟需国际援助。

Nànmín liúlí-shīsuǒ, jíxū guójì yuánzhù.

The refugees are displaced and urgently need international aid.

Tips

history

The phrase draws on 《汉书·薛广德传》: 关东困极，人民流离 - describing peasants driven from their homes by hardship. 'Displacement due to catastrophe' has been its meaning for two thousand years.

usage

Almost always for mass catastrophe: war, famine, natural disaster, political upheaval. Heavy, serious register - not for someone who's just had to move apartments.

Stroke Order

流 liú

离 lí

失 shī

所 suǒ