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倾家荡产 (qīng jiā dàng chǎn) — to lose one's entire family fortune; to be cleaned out

Definition

A dramatic 成语 meaning to lose one's entire family fortune — total financial ruin. The split (倾 + 荡 + 家 + 产) is just historical imagery; treat it as one fixed phrase that takes no object.

phrase
to lose one's entire family fortuneto be cleaned out

Examples

  • ，倾家荡产。
    Tā fù qīn zuò shēng yi shī bài, chà yì diǎn qīng jiā dàng chǎn.
    His father's business failed and he nearly lost everything.
  • 倾家荡产。
    Xī dú néng ràng yí gè rén qīng jiā dàng chǎn.
    Drug addiction can ruin a person and cost them all they have.
  • 倾家荡产。
    Nà chǎng guān si dǎ dé tā qīng jiā dàng chǎn.
    That lawsuit fought him into total ruin.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

倾家ruin family
倾qīngoverturn家jiāfamily
动宾Verb + object
荡产squander property
荡dàngdissipate产chǎnproperty
动宾Verb + object

The two parts 倾家 and 荡产 run parallel: overturning the family and dissipating its property together express total financial ruin.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 傾; 倾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
頃
頃qǐng傾qīng
Same sound today

The traditional form 傾 combines 人 (man) with 頃, which gives the sound; 倾 is the simplified form of 傾.

Open 倾 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 蕩; 荡 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 荡 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words it is 蕩; in others it is 盪.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
湯
湯tāng蕩dàng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

About the traditional form 蕩: it is made of 艹 (grass, written fully as 艸) and 湯, which gives the sound. The simplified 荡 is only a later shorthand.

Open 荡 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 產; 产 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
生生shēngto be born
Sound part声符shēngfú
彥
彥yàn產chǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 產 pairs 生, "to be born," with 彥 as a sound part; the simplified 产 is a shorthand.

Open 产 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Idioms & Set PhrasesMoney & Currency

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