# 家徒四壁

jiā tú sì bì

Be extremely poor with scarcely any possessions

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** A home with only four walls

**Register:** Standard · expressive

[Change & possibility](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/change)

## When to use it

Describe severe material poverty.

Stronger than a deliberately minimalist room.

## Understanding the expression

The walls remain, but almost nothing within them belongs to the household. The expression portrays deep poverty through the absence of basic possessions. It may describe a family after disaster, loss of income, or prolonged hardship. An empty room chosen for simplicity is different, because the deprivation here is not a design preference. The image can invite sympathy while leaving the causes open; poverty itself does not establish laziness or personal failure.

## Examples

大火后，他们家徒四壁。

### Traditional Chinese

大火後，他們家徒四壁。

dà huǒ hòu ， tā men jiā tú sì bì 。

After the fire, they had almost no possessions left.

他小时候家徒四壁，生活艰难。

### Traditional Chinese

他小時候家徒四壁，生活艱難。

tā xiǎo shí hòu jiā tú sì bì ， shēng huó jiān nán 。

His family was extremely poor during his childhood.

虽然家徒四壁，她仍坚持读书。

### Traditional Chinese

雖然家徒四壁，她仍堅持讀書。

suī rán jiā tú sì bì ， tā réng jiān chí dú shū 。

Although her home was bare from poverty, she kept studying.

邻居帮助家徒四壁的老人添置家具。

### Traditional Chinese

鄰居幫助家徒四壁的老人添置傢俱。

lín jū bāng zhù jiā tú sì bì de lǎo rén tiān zhì jiā jù 。

Neighbors helped the impoverished older person obtain furniture.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E5%AE%B6%E5%BE%92%E5%9B%9B%E5%A3%81)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=951&webMd=1&la=0)

## Keep exploring

- [见猎心喜 jiàn liè xīn xǐ Feel eager to return to a former pursuit ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/jian-lie-xin-xi)

- [渐入佳境 jiàn rù jiā jìng Improve progressively and become increasingly enjoyable ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/jian-ru-jia-jing)

- [江河日下 jiāng hé rì xià Deteriorate steadily ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/jiang-he-ri-xia)

- [江郎才尽 jiāng láng cái jìn Lose the ability to produce fresh creative work ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/jiang-lang-cai-jin)

## Keep this one close.

Save useful idioms, read offline, and revisit them with flashcards in Almanac.

[View on the App Store ](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6819590452)

[Previous idiom 驾轻就熟 ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/jia-qing-jiu-shu) [Next idiom 家喻户晓 ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/jia-yu-hu-xiao)