家徒四壁

Origin and story

In the Records of the Grand Historian's biography of Sima Xiangru, the writer is poor when he becomes involved with Zhuo Wenjun, a wealthy merchant's widowed daughter. After hearing his music and making contact with him, she leaves to join him in Chengdu. His home, the account says, has little but its four standing walls.

Wenjun's father initially refuses to support them. The couple later operates a wine shop at Linqiong: she serves customers, while Xiangru works alongside the hired help. Her father eventually gives them substantial property. The idiom preserves the stark image of their earlier household, describing extreme poverty rather than a permanent verdict on their fortunes.