哀鴻遍野 āi hóng biàn yě

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. plaintive whine of geese (idiom); fig. land swarming with disaster victims
  2. starving people fill the land

CHARACTERS

哀 āi sad, mournful, pitiful; pity
鴻 hóng species of wild swan; vast
遍 biàn everywhere, all over, throughout
野 yě open country, field; wilderness