丧家之犬 (sàng jiā zhī quǎn) — (fig.) a person who has lost their support and has nowhere to turn; a down-and-out person; (noun, original meaning) stray dog; homeless dog (literal meaning of 丧家之犬)
Definition
A literary set phrase (成语) literally meaning a 'stray dog that has lost its home,' used figuratively for a person who has lost all support and has nowhere to turn. In modern usage the figurative sense dominates.
noun
(fig.) a person who has lost their support and has nowhere to turna down-and-out person(noun, original meaning) stray doghomeless dog (literal meaning of 丧家之犬)
Examples
- ，丧家之犬。Tā bèi rén gǎn chū lái, xiàng yì tiáo sàng jiā zhī quǎn yí yàng méi dì fāng qù.He was driven out by others, like a stray dog with nowhere to go.
- ，丧家之犬，。Zhàn luàn guò hòu, hěn duō píng mín chéng le sàng jiā zhī quǎn, sì chù liú làng.After the war, many civilians became homeless stray dogs, wandering everywhere.
- ，，丧家之犬。Tā pò chǎn zhī hòu, péng you dōu yuǎn lí tā, tā jué de zì jǐ xiàng yì zhī sàng jiā zhī quǎn.After he went bankrupt, his friends all kept their distance, and he felt like an outcast.
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