哀莫大於心死 āi mò dà yú xīn sǐ

DEFINITIONS

  1. nothing sadder than a withered heart (idiom attributed to Confucius by Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3])
  2. no greater sorrow than a heart that never rejoices
  3. the worst sorrow is not as bad as an uncaring heart
  4. nothing is more wretched than apathy

CHARACTERS

哀 āi
HSK 6
sad, mournful, pitiful; pity
莫 mò
HSK 6
do not, is not, can not; negative
大 dà
HSK 1
big, great, vast, large, high
於 yú in, at, on; interjection alas!
心 xīn
HSK 3
heart; mind, intelligence; soul
死 sǐ
HSK 4
die; dead; death