每天成语
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立锥之地

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: lì zhuī zhī dì
  • English Translation: A place to stand an awl (a tiny foothold)
  • Idiom Composition: 「立」（To stand or stick something upright）＋「锥」（An awl or drill (a sharp-pointed tool)）＋「之」（A grammatical particle indicating possession (of)）＋「地」（Land, ground, or place）
  • Meaning: An extremely small area of land, literally just enough to stick the point of an awl into. It is used metaphorically to describe a minimal foothold, a place to live, or a social position. It is most commonly used in the negative form 无立锥之地 (wú lì zhuī zhī dì) to describe extreme poverty or having no place to belong.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「立锥之地」 contains the following nuances:

  • Minimal Space: Refers to a physically tiny area or a state of extreme crowding where not a single gap remains.
  • Foundation for Survival: Beyond physical area, it serves as a metaphor for a 'foothold,' 'social position,' or 'living space' necessary for survival.
  • Usage in the Negative: The idiom is most frequently used as 无立锥之地 (wú lì zhuī zhī dì) to emphasize the misery of having no place to stay or being completely destitute.

3. Usage

「立锥之地」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Extreme Poverty: Used to describe a state of being completely destitute, owning no land or home.
    • Example:「他破产后变得一贫如洗，在这个城市已无立锥之地。」
      （After going bankrupt and becoming destitute, he no longer has a place to call his own in this city.)
  • Crowdedness: An exaggerated way to describe a place so packed with people that there is no room to stand.
    • Example:「假日里的景区人山人海，挤得简直无立锥之地。」
      （During the holidays, the scenic area was so packed with people that there was hardly any room to move.)
  • Social Exclusion: Refers to being pushed out of an organization or industry, leaving one with no position or influence.
    • Example:「由于得罪了权贵，他在这个行业里已经没有立锥之地了。」
      （Because he offended the powerful, he no longer has a foothold in this industry.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 旧社会的贫苦农民终年劳作，却往往无立锥之地。
    （Poor farmers in the old society worked all year round, yet they often had not a single inch of land to their name.）
  2. 这间屋子堆满了杂物，连个立锥之地都没有。
    （This room is so cluttered with junk that there isn't even a place to stand.）
  3. 只要肯努力，在这个大城市总能找到立锥之地。
    （As long as you are willing to work hard, you will eventually find a place for yourself in this big city.）
  4. 他在学术界奋斗多年，终于争得了一块立锥之地。
    （After struggling in academia for many years, he finally secured a position for himself.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • The phrase originates from the Records of the Grand Historian (史记), specifically in the 'House of Marquis Liu.' It describes how the Qin Dynasty (秦朝) seized land from the feudal lords until they didn't even have a 'place to stand an awl' left.
  • In traditional Chinese agrarian society, land was the fundamental basis for survival. To have 'no land' meant having no means of living, which is why this idiom carries a heavy connotation of extreme poverty and desperation.
  • In modern contexts, the 'land' metaphor has evolved to represent market share, professional status, or a 'spot' in a highly competitive environment.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

The idiom 立锥之地 (lì zhuī zhī dì) describes a space so small it can only accommodate the tip of a sharp tool. In modern usage, it often appears with the word 无 (wú), meaning 'without,' to emphasize that someone has no place to call their own, is destitute, or is in a situation so crowded that there is no room to move. It highlights the loss of a physical or social foothold.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Level 1

Idiom Essay

lì zhuī zhī dì
立锥之地
A Tiny Patch of Land
xiǎng xiàng想象yī xià一下，nǐ你shǒu lǐ手里ná拿zhe着yī bǎ一把zhuī zi锥子。

Imagine you are holding an awl in your hand.

zhuī zi锥子de的tóu头fēi cháng非常jiān尖，jiān尖dào到zhǐ néng只能cì pò刺破yí gè一个xiǎo小kǒng孔。

The tip of the awl is extremely sharp, so sharp that it can only pierce a tiny hole.

rú guǒ如果ràng让nǐ你bǎ把zhè这bǎ把zhuī zi锥子chā插zài在dì shàng地上，tā它zhàn yòng占用de的miàn jī面积yǒu有duō多dà大？

If you were to stick this awl into the ground, how much area would it occupy?

jī hū几乎kě yǐ可以hū lüè bù jì忽略不计，duì对ba吧？

It is almost negligible, right?

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个chéng yǔ成语jiù就yòng用le了zhè ge这个huà miàn画面，jiào zuò叫做“lì zhuī zhī dì立锥之地”。

In Chinese, there is an idiom that uses this image, called 立锥之地.

zì miàn字面yì si意思jiù shì就是：zhǐ néng只能chā jìn插进yī bǎ一把zhuī zi锥子nà me那么xiǎo小de的dì fāng地方。

Literally, it means a place so small that you can only stick an awl into it.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语fēi cháng非常yǒu yì si有意思，yīn wèi因为tā它jī hū几乎zǒng shì总是hé和“méi yǒu没有”lián连zài在yì qǐ一起yòng用de的，yě也jiù shì就是“wú lì zhuī zhī dì无立锥之地”。

This idiom is very interesting because it is almost always used with the word for "none," forming 无立锥之地.

rén men人们fā míng发明zhè ge这个cí词，bú shì不是wèi le为了xíng róng形容mǒu某gè个dì fāng地方yǒu有duō多xiǎo小，ér shì而是wèi le为了gǎn tàn感叹——nǎ pà哪怕shì是zhè me这么xiǎo小de的yì diǎn diǎn一点点kōng jiān空间，wǒ我dōu都méi yǒu没有。

People invented this term not to describe how small a place is, but to lament that they do not have even such a tiny bit of space.

zài在shēng huó生活zhōng中，wǒ men我们huì会zài在liǎng zhǒng两种jié rán bù tóng截然不同de的chǎng jǐng场景xià下yòng用dào到tā它。

In life, we use it in two completely different scenarios.

dì第yī zhǒng一种，shì是wù lǐ物理shàng上de的“jǐ挤”。

The first is physical crowding.

bǐ rú比如zǎo gāo fēng早高峰de的dì tiě地铁，huò zhě或者rè mén热门jǐng diǎn景点de的jià qī假期。

For example, the subway during the morning rush hour, or a popular tourist spot during the holidays.

rén jǐ rén人挤人，jiǎo āi jiǎo脚挨脚，nǐ你shèn zhì甚至lián连zhuǎn shēn转身dōu都kùn nán困难。

People are packed together, feet touching feet, and it is difficult even to turn around.

zhè shí hòu这时候，nǐ你huì会gǎn tàn感叹：rén人tài太duō多le了，jiǎn zhí简直méi yǒu没有“lì zhuī zhī dì立锥之地”。

At such times, you might sigh: there are too many people, there is simply no 立锥之地.

dì èr zhǒng第二种，zé则chén zhòng沉重dé得duō多。

The second scenario is much heavier.

tā它xíng róng形容de的shì是yī zhǒng一种jí dù极度de的pín fá贫乏huò或gū dú孤独。

It describes extreme poverty or loneliness.

xiǎng xiàng想象yī xià一下，shì jiè世界hěn很dà大，chéng shì城市lǐ里wàn jiā dēng huǒ万家灯火，kě shì可是duì yú对于mǒu某gè rén个人lái来shuō说，jìng rán竟然méi yǒu没有yī cùn一寸tǔ dì土地、yí gè一个fáng jiān房间shì是shǔ yú属于tā他de的。

Imagine that the world is vast and the city lights are bright, yet for a certain person, not an inch of land or a single room belongs to them.

tā他zhǎo bú dào找不到yí gè一个kě yǐ可以ān shēn安身de的dì fāng地方。

They cannot find a place to settle down.

zhè zhǒng这种shí hòu时候，“wú lì zhuī zhī dì无立锥之地”jiù就bù zài不再shì是shuō说kōng jiān空间yōng jǐ拥挤，ér shì而是zài在shuō说——wǒ我bù不bèi被zhè lǐ这里jiē nà接纳。

In these moments, 无立锥之地 is no longer about physical crowding, but about not being accepted by the environment.

suǒ yǐ所以，zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语suī rán虽然tīng qǐ lái听起来shì是zài在jiǎng讲chǐ cùn尺寸，dàn但tā它zhēn zhèng真正chuán dì传递de的，shì是yī zhǒng一种qiáng liè强烈de的fǎn chà反差。

Therefore, although this idiom sounds like it is about size, what it truly conveys is a powerful contrast.

tā它ràng让wǒ men我们kàn dào看到：tiān dì天地suī rán虽然kuān guǎng宽广，dàn但duì yú对于mǒu xiē某些shí kè时刻de的mǒu xiē某些rén人lái来shuō说，xiǎng yào想要zhǎo dào找到yí gè一个shǔ yú属于zì jǐ自己de的、nǎ pà哪怕xiàng像zhēn jiān针尖yī yàng一样xiǎo小de的jiǎo luò角落，jìng rán竟然dōu都nà me那么nán难。

It shows us that although the world is wide, for some people at certain moments, finding a corner of their own—even one as small as a needle tip—is incredibly difficult.

xià cì下次，dāng当nǐ你kàn dào看到jù dà巨大de的chéng shì城市lǐ里，nà xiē那些piāo bó wú yī漂泊无依de的gù shì故事shí时，nǐ你yě xǔ也许huì会xiǎng qǐ想起zhè ge这个cí词。

Next time you see stories of people drifting without a home in a giant city, you might think of this term.

tā它tí xǐng提醒wǒ men我们，yōng yǒu拥有yí gè一个kě yǐ可以ān shēn安身de的dì fāng地方，nǎ pà哪怕hěn很xiǎo小，qí shí其实yě也shì是yī zhǒng一种jù dà巨大de的xìng yùn幸运。

It reminds us that having a place to settle, even if it is very small, is actually a great fortune.

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