the hardest life of a widow
Drinking ice and eating Berberis, a Chinese idiom, Pinyin is y ǐ Nb ī ngsh í bॸ, which means drinking cold water and eating bitter things; it describes life as pure and miserable and being innocent. It comes from three years as a history of assassins.
Notes on Idioms
Berberis, the name of wood. It is Phellodendron amurense. Also known as "Huangbai".
The origin of Idioms
Bai Juyi's poem "three years is the history of assassins" in Tang Dynasty: "three years is the history of assassins, drink ice and eat Berberis. Only to Tianzhu Mountain, get two pieces of stone. "
Idiom usage
It refers to the miserable life. When you drink ice and eat Berberis, you sit in poverty and feel the bristles and beards on the stars. An essay on Sui Wan by Wang Mai of Song Dynasty
Analysis of Idioms
Drink ice like a vine
the hardest life of a widow
act outrageously and ferociously - bà dào héng xíng
Be content with the old customs and indulge in the old news - ān yú gù sú,nì yú jiù wén
add , subtract , multiply and divide - jiā jiǎn chéng chú
an old cow pulling a rickety cart - lǎo niú pò chē