水深火熱

See also: 水深火热

Chinese

		water; river	deep; profound	fire; angry; fierce fire; angry; fierce; fiery; thriving	heat; to heat up; fervent heat; to heat up; fervent; hot (of weather); warm up
trad. (水深火熱)		水	深	火	熱
simp. (水深火热)		水	深	火	热
Literally: “the water is deep and the fire is hot”.

Etymology

From Mencius:

如水益深，如火益熱，亦運而已矣。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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如水益深，如火益热，亦运而已矣。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

Rú shuǐ yì shēn, rú huǒ yì rè, yì yùn éryǐ yǐ. [Pinyin]

If you make the water more deep and the fire more fierce, they will in like manner make another revolution.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shuǐshēnhuǒrè

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄕㄣ ㄏㄨㄛˇ ㄖㄜˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): seoi² sam¹ fo² jit⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shuǐshēnhuǒrè
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄕㄣ ㄏㄨㄛˇ ㄖㄜˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shuěishenhuǒrè
    • Wade–Giles: shui³-shên¹-huo³-jê⁴
    • Yale: shwěi-shēn-hwǒ-rè
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shoeishenhuooreh
    • Palladius: шуйшэньхожэ (šujšɛnʹxožɛ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂən⁵⁵ xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐɤ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: seoi² sam¹ fo² jit⁶
    • Yale: séui sām fó yiht
    • Cantonese Pinyin: soey² sam¹ fo² jit⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: sêu² sem¹ fo² yid⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɵy̯³⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ fɔː³⁵ jiːt̚²/

Idiom

水深火熱

1. to be in deep distress; to live with great misery and hardship