take pity on the poor and the old

take pity on the poor and the old

Li á NP í nx ù L ǎ o, a Chinese idiom, means to sympathize with the poor and the old. From a dream of Red Mansions by Cao Xueqin in Qing Dynasty.

The origin of Idioms

The sixth chapter of a dream of Red Mansions written by Cao Xueqin in Qing Dynasty: "now that I am old, I feel more and more pity for the poor."

Idiom usage

It refers to helping the disadvantaged. Compassion for the poor is always one of the virtues of our Chinese nation.

Idiom story

Wang Xifeng even had a distant relative, Wang gouer, who made a living by farming. Wang's ancestors were also officials in Beijing, and later his family declined. Wang gouer is unhappy and sulks at home. His mother-in-law, Granny Liu, criticizes him for not making a living. Suddenly, she thinks that Wang Xifeng, a distant relative of the Wang family, is the wife of Jia Erye in Rongguo mansion. It's said that she is very good at caring for the poor and the old, so she might as well go to her for help.