<p><a href="https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=2183&amp;webMd=1&amp;la=0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">生民塗炭</a> is a variant of  <a href="https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=-397" rel="nofollow noreferrer">生靈塗炭</a> which is the standard form of this idiom</p>
<ul>
<li><p>生靈(the living and conscious) refers to 人民、百姓 ( the common people), as well as living and conscious creatures</p>
</li>
<li><p>塗 = quagmire (mud)</p>
</li>
<li><p>炭 = charcoal (fire)</p>
</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
<p>「生靈塗炭」 &quot;Life is in ruins&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>&quot;People are trapped in a quagmire and charcoal fire&quot;, a metaphor for the extreme plight of the people.</p>
<p>In modern Chinese, 生靈塗炭 mostly refers to &quot;massive lives lost and suffering&quot;</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-08T03:11:01.723Z
2024-10-08T03:16:13.447Z
2024-10-08T03:16:13.447Z
Tang Ho
<p>塗炭 - coal fire mixed with mud. It creates &quot;a dirty and difficult condition/environment&quot;, and means &quot;in utter misery&quot;.</p>
<p>BTW, I think the original phrase was &quot;民生涂炭&quot; or &quot;生灵涂炭&quot;.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-08T03:02:49.063Z
2024-10-08T03:02:49.063Z
r13
<p>君王的行為使的生民塗炭。</p>
<p>生民塗炭 is a chengyu. It means the populace is living in misery.</p>
<p>However I don't understand exactly what 塗炭 literally means. 炭 means coal. 塗 I only understand as a verb; to paint, to smear etc.</p>
<p>There is also a definition of 泥塗, which means a mud-clogged road. But then even in this phrase 塗 seems to represent road and not mud (but I'm not sure).</p>
<p>If 塗 means mud, then the chengyu 生民塗炭 means people are in mud and burning in coal = living in abject misery. So I suppose my question is what does 塗 really mean here? Thanks.</p>

<meaning>
Meaning of the chengyu 生民塗炭
# Meaning of the chengyu 生民塗炭

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-10-08)

君王的行為使的生民塗炭。

生民塗炭 is a chengyu. It means the populace is living in misery.

However I don't understand exactly what 塗炭 literally means. 炭 means coal. 塗 I only understand as a verb; to paint, to smear etc.

There is also a definition of 泥塗, which means a mud-clogged road. But then even in this phrase 塗 seems to represent road and not mud (but I'm not sure).

If 塗 means mud, then the chengyu 生民塗炭 means people are in mud and burning in coal = living in abject misery. So I suppose my question is what does 塗 really mean here? Thanks.

**Tags:** meaning


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-10-08. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

[生民塗炭](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=2183&webMd=1&la=0) is a variant of [生靈塗炭](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=-397) which is the standard form of this idiom

* 生靈(the living and conscious) refers to 人民、百姓 ( the common people), as well as living and conscious creatures
* 塗 = quagmire (mud)
* 炭 = charcoal (fire)

> 「生靈塗炭」 "Life is in ruins"

"People are trapped in a quagmire and charcoal fire", a metaphor for the extreme plight of the people.

In modern Chinese, 生靈塗炭 mostly refers to "massive lives lost and suffering"


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### Answer by username_2 on 2024-10-08. Score: 2

塗炭 - coal fire mixed with mud. It creates "a dirty and difficult condition/environment", and means "in utter misery".

BTW, I think the original phrase was "民生涂炭" or "生灵涂炭".


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