民不聊生 (mín bù liáo shēng) | Meaning: (idiom) the people have no way to make a living (from Records of the Grand Historian) | Chinese Idiom with Pinyin & Origin

the people are impoverished, their means exhausted (idiom); to drive the nation to bankruptcy民穷财尽mín qióng cái jìn

a scene of devastation meets the eye everywhere one looks (idiom)满目疮痍mǎn mù chuāng yí

deep water and scorching fire · abyss of suffering (idiom)水深火热shuǐ shēn huǒ rè

people are in a terrible situation (idiom)生灵涂炭shēng líng tú tàn

the people's livelihood is reduced to destitution (idiom); a time of famine and impoverishment民生凋敝mín shēng diāo bì

lit. plaintive whine of geese (idiom); fig. land swarming with disaster victims · starving people fill the land哀鸿遍野āi hóng biàn yě

(idiom) the people have no way to make a living (from Records of the Grand Historian)