每天成语
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茹毛饮血

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

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: rú máo yǐn xuè
  • English Translation: Eating fur and drinking blood (a primitive, uncivilized lifestyle)
  • Idiom Composition: 「茹」（To eat or swallow (in this specific context)）＋「毛」（Fur or hair of animals）＋「饮」（To drink）＋「血」（Blood）
  • Meaning: Refers to the primitive way of life before the discovery of fire, where people ate raw meat with the fur still on and drank the blood. Metaphorically, it describes an uncivilized, barbaric state or extremely primitive living conditions.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「茹毛饮血」 contains the following nuances:

  • Primitive Diet: Literally meaning "to eat fur and drink blood," the phrase depicts the life of ancient humans who had not yet discovered how to cook food with fire.
  • Symbol of Barbarism: In modern usage, it serves as a metaphor for any state that is uncivilized or isolated from the advancements of modern society.

3. Usage

「茹毛饮血」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Historical and Anthropological Descriptions: Most commonly used to describe the primitive stages of human evolution and the development of civilization.
    • Example:「人类告别了茹毛饮血的时代，学会了使用火种。」
      （Humans said goodbye to the primitive and barbaric era and learned to use fire.)
  • Metaphor for Extreme Conditions: Used in modern contexts to emphasize a loss of civilized infrastructure or a harsh, wild survival environment.
    • Example:「如果不保护环境，也许有一天我们不得不退回到茹毛饮血的生活。」
      （If we don't protect the environment, we might one day be forced back into a primitive, wild existence.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 在那片原始森林里，探险队仿佛回到了茹毛饮血的远古时期。
    （In that primeval forest, the expedition felt as if they had returned to the primitive ancient times.）
  2. 虽然条件艰苦，但我们绝不能过那种茹毛饮血的日子。
    （Conditions are tough, but we absolutely cannot live those barbaric and uncivilized days again.）
  3. 这本书生动地描绘了先民们茹毛饮血、与大自然搏斗的场景。
    （This book vividly depicts the scenes of ancestors eating raw meat and drinking blood while struggling against nature.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • The idiom originates from the Book of Rites (礼记), specifically the Liyun (礼运) chapter, which describes the era before 'fire-transformation' (cooking) existed, where people ate the meat of birds and beasts and drank their blood.
  • In Chinese cultural philosophy, the use of fire for cooking is considered the definitive hallmark of civilization. Therefore, 茹毛饮血 (rú máo yǐn xuè) is the ultimate symbol of a 'barbaric' state existing before the birth of social etiquette and culture.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

茹毛饮血 (rú máo yǐn xuè) describes the lifestyle of ancient humans before they learned to use fire for cooking. In modern English, it is used to characterize a state of being "uncivilized" or "barbaric," or to describe living in extremely primitive conditions. It often appears in historical, anthropological, or environmental discussions to contrast modern civilization with its raw, wild origins.

Idiom Essay

rú máo yǐn xuè
茹毛饮血
Living Like Savages
xiǎng xiàng想象yī xià一下，rú guǒ如果wǒ men我们xiàn zài现在shī qù失去le了suǒ yǒu所有de的gōng jù工具，tè bié特别shì是shī qù失去le了“huǒ火”，rén lèi人类de的shēng huó生活huì会biàn chéng变成shén me yàng什么样？

Imagine if we lost all our tools today, especially "fire," what would human life become?

méi yǒu没有rè téng téng热腾腾de的mǐ fàn米饭，méi yǒu没有zhǔ shú煮熟de的ròu肉，yī qiè一切dōu都yào要huí dào回到zuì最yuán shǐ原始de的zhuàng tài状态。

No steaming rice, no cooked meat—everything would return to the most primitive state.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个chéng yǔ成语zhuān mén专门yòng lái用来miáo huì描绘zhè zhǒng这种jí qí极其yáo yuǎn遥远、shàng wèi尚未kāi huà开化de的shēng huó生活tú jǐng图景，jiào zuò叫做“rú máo yǐn xuè茹毛饮血”。

In Chinese, there is an idiom specifically used to describe this extremely distant and uncivilized way of life, called 茹毛饮血.

zhè这sì gè四个zì字，huà miàn画面gǎn感fēi cháng非常qiáng强，shèn zhì甚至dài带zhe着yì diǎn diǎn一点点yě xìng野性de的kǒng bù恐怖。

These four characters create a very strong visual, even carrying a hint of wild terror.

“rú茹”shì是yí gè一个gǔ lǎo古老de的zì字，yì si意思shì是chī吃；“máo毛”jiù shì就是yě shòu野兽de的pí máo皮毛；“yǐn饮”shì是hē喝；“xuè血”jiù shì就是xuè yè血液。

茹 is an ancient character meaning to eat; 毛 refers to the fur of wild beasts; 饮 means to drink; and 血 means blood.

hé合qǐ lái起来，tā它de的yì si意思jiù shì就是：lián zhe连着pí máo皮毛yì qǐ一起shēng chī生吃qín shòu禽兽de的ròu肉，hē喝tā men它们de的xuè血。

Combined, it means: eating the flesh of birds and beasts raw along with their fur, and drinking their blood.

wǒ men我们xiàn zài现在tīng dào听到zhè ge这个cí词，kě néng可能huì会jué de觉得hěn很xuè xīng血腥。

Hearing this term now, we might find it quite gory.

dàn但zài在gǔ rén古人yǎn lǐ眼里，zhè这bù jǐn jǐn不仅仅shì是zài在miáo xiě描写“chī吃dōng xī东西de的fāng shì方式”，gèng shì更是zài在miáo xiě描写rén lèi人类wén míng文明de的qǐ diǎn起点。

But in the eyes of the ancients, this was not just describing a "way of eating," but rather the starting point of human civilization.

zài在xué huì学会shǐ yòng使用huǒ火zhī qián之前，rén lèi人类hé和dòng wù动物de的qū bié区别qí shí其实bìng并bù不dà大。

Before learning to use fire, the difference between humans and animals was actually not that great.

wèi le为了shēng cún生存，rén men人们zhǐ néng只能zhí jiē直接cóng从dà zì rán大自然zhōng中huò qǔ获取shí wù食物，méi yǒu没有bàn fǎ办法qù去jiā gōng加工，gèng更tán bù shàng谈不上měi wèi美味。

To survive, people could only obtain food directly from nature, with no way to process it, let alone talk about flavor.

suǒ yǐ所以，“rú máo yǐn xuè茹毛饮血”zhè ge这个cí词，qí shí其实shì是yī tiáo一条fēn jiè xiàn分界线。

Therefore, the term 茹毛饮血 is actually a dividing line.

zài在zhè这tiáo条xiàn线zhī qián之前，shì是hēi àn黑暗、hán lěng寒冷hé和chún cuì纯粹de的shēng cún生存běn néng本能；zài在zhè这tiáo条xiàn线zhī hòu之后，rén lèi人类xué huì学会le了yòng用huǒ火，yǒu有le了shú shí熟食，cái才màn màn慢慢zǒu jìn走进le了wén míng文明de的shì jiè世界。

Before this line lay darkness, cold, and pure survival instinct; after this line, humans learned to use fire and had cooked food, slowly entering the civilized world.

zài在xiàn dài现代shēng huó生活zhōng中，wǒ men我们hěn很shǎo少yǒu有jī huì机会yòng用dào到zhè ge这个cí词lái来xíng róng形容shēn biān身边de的rén人。

In modern life, we rarely have the chance to use this term to describe people around us.

chú fēi除非shì是zài在kāi wán xiào开玩笑，xíng róng形容shuí谁chī吃de的niú pái牛排tài太shēng生le了。

Unless it is a joke, describing someone's steak as being too raw.

wǒ men我们gèng更duō多shí hòu时候，shì是yòng用tā它lái huí来回wàng望lì shǐ历史。

Most of the time, we use it to look back at history.

tā它tí xǐng提醒wǒ men我们，rén lèi人类wèi le为了bǎi tuō摆脱nà zhǒng那种“rú máo yǐn xuè茹毛饮血”de的kùn jìng困境，wèi le为了néng能zuò坐zài在wēn nuǎn温暖de的fáng jiān房间lǐ里chī吃shàng上yī dùn一顿rè热fàn饭，qí shí其实zǒu走le了fēi cháng非常màn cháng漫长de的lù路。

It reminds us that humans have traveled a very long road to escape the predicament of 茹毛饮血 and to be able to sit in a warm room eating a hot meal.

suǒ yǐ所以，xià cì下次dāng当nǐ你diǎn rán点燃lú zào炉灶，huò zhě或者wén dào闻到shí wù食物zhǔ shú煮熟de的xiāng qì香气shí时，yě xǔ也许kě yǐ可以xiǎng dào想到zhè ge这个cí词。

So, the next time you light the stove or smell the aroma of cooking food, perhaps you can think of this term.

tā它suī rán虽然tīng qǐ lái听起来hěn很yáo yuǎn遥远，dàn但tā它fǎn chèn反衬chū出de的，zhèng shì正是wǒ men我们xiàn zài现在xí yǐ wéi cháng习以为常de的wén míng文明yǔ与wēn nuǎn温暖。

Although it sounds distant, what it highlights is the very civilization and warmth we now take for granted.

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