as poor as a church mouse

as poor as a church mouse

The Chinese idiom, Ji ā t ú B ì L ì, means that there are only four walls in the house. He is very poor and has nothing. It comes from the biography of Sima Xiangru in historical records.

The origin of Idioms

According to the biography of Sima Xiangru in historical records, "Wen Jun died in the night and ran to Xiangru. Xiangru came back to Chengdu and lived in four walls."

Idiom usage

For example, he lost his parents at the age of four, his mother was Jin, and his brother was Ke Chang. Shen Fu's six chapters of a floating life

Explanation of words

There are only four walls in the house. He is very poor and has nothing.

Idiom story

Sima Xiangru, a Fu writer in the Western Han Dynasty, returned to his hometown in Chengdu after the death of Liang Xiaowang. His family was very poor and his life was very difficult. His friend Wang Ji, the magistrate of Linqiong County, invited him to visit Zhuo wangsun, the rich man. He fell in love with Zhuo Wenjun, the widow daughter of Zhuo wangsun. They set up a private life and went back to his helpless home to live their miserable life.