Chinese idiom · 成语
落井下石
Meaning
To throw stones at one in a well; to harm the vulnerable.
Character by character
Origin and story
Literary commemoration and metaphorIn his epitaph for Liu Zongyuan, Han Yu recalls Liu's willingness to take a harsher posting in place of his friend Liu Yuxi, whose elderly mother would suffer from the remote destination. He contrasts that loyalty with fair-weather friends who make extravagant promises, then turn away at the slightest risk.
For their betrayal, Han Yu imagines someone falling into a pit: instead of offering a hand, others push him farther down and throw stones after him. The later idiom condenses this image. It condemns actively worsening another person's misfortune, especially when they are already vulnerable; simply being unable to help is a different matter.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
他刚失去工作，你还拿这件事嘲笑他，未免太落井下石了。
He's just lost his job; mocking him about it is really kicking him while he's down.
Strong criticism of making someone's bad situation worse.