desperate
Poor, Chinese idiom, Pinyin is Qi ó NGT ú Li á OD ǎ o, which means there is no way to go, very frustrated, the same as "poor". From foreword of Zheng Banqiao collection.
The origin of Idioms
Fu Baoshi's preface to the collection of Zheng Banqiao: "his whole life, though it can be said to be a life of incoherence and poverty."
Idiom usage
There is no way out. He lived a down and out life.
desperate
the house is crowded in every part - rén mǎn wéi huàn
withered trees and rotten stumps - pán mù xiǔ zhū
Carving out articles and sentences - diāo zhāng lòu jù
close the country to international intercourse - bì guān zì zhǔ