流离失所

流離失所

liúlíshīsuǒ

idiom #31,320

Meanings

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

Characters

to leave; be separated

Examples

战争让无数百姓流离失所。

Zhànzhēng ràng wúshù bǎixìng liúlíshīsuǒ.

The war left countless civilians homeless and displaced.

洪水过后，许多家庭流离失所。

Hóngshuǐ guòhòu, xǔduō jiātíng liúlíshīsuǒ.

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

难民流离失所，亟需国际援助。

Nànmín liúlíshīsuǒ, 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