měikuàngyùxià: 每况愈下 - To go from bad to worse, to deteriorate steadily

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• Summary: Learn the common Chinese idiom (chengyu) 每况愈下 (měikuàngyùxià), which means “to go from bad to worse” or “to deteriorate steadily.” This comprehensive guide explains its meaning, cultural origins, character breakdown, and practical usage with example sentences. Understand how to use this formal phrase to describe a situation, a person's health, or a company's performance that is getting progressively worse.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): měi kuàng yù xià
• Part of Speech: Idiom (成语, chéngyǔ)
• HSK Level: HSK 6
• Concise Definition: To describe a situation that is steadily getting worse over time.
• In a Nutshell: 每况愈下 (měikuàngyùxià) is a formal and literary idiom used to express that something is in a state of continuous decline. It paints a picture of a downward trend with no sign of improvement. Think of it as the Chinese equivalent of saying a situation is “going downhill” or “in a downward spiral,” but with a more formal and serious tone.

• 每 (měi): Every, each.
• 况 (kuàng): Situation, condition.
• 愈 (yù): More, increasingly.
• 下 (xià): Down, downwards, inferior.

Literally, the characters combine to mean “with every situation, it gets more downward.” This structure perfectly captures the idea of a steady, step-by-step deterioration. Each time you check the “situation” (况), it has moved further “down” (下).

The origin of this idiom is quite fascinating and comes from the classic Taoist text, the Zhuangzi (庄子). In a story, a person asked the philosopher Zhuangzi where the “Dao” (the Way, the fundamental principle of the universe) could be found. To illustrate that the Dao is omnipresent, Zhuangzi pointed to things of progressively lower and lower perceived value—from an ant, to grass, to a clay tile, and finally to excrement. The original phrase was about how the further down one looked, the more evident the Dao became. However, over centuries of use, the meaning morphed. People forgot the philosophical context and focused only on the “getting lower/worse” aspect. Today, 每况愈下 has completely lost its original philosophical meaning and is used exclusively to mean that a situation is deteriorating. Comparison to Western Concepts: This idiom is very similar to the English phrase “going downhill.” Both describe a gradual decline. However, 每况愈下 is more formal and is considered a chengyu (a classical idiom), lending it a more literary and serious weight. While you might casually say “my grades are going downhill,” using 每况愈下 to describe your grades would sound very formal, almost like a written report. It's less like the dramatic “from the frying pan into the fire,” which implies a sudden worsening, and more like a steady, relentless decline.

每况愈下 is primarily used in formal contexts. You will frequently encounter it in:

• News and Financial Reporting: Describing a declining economy, a company's falling profits, or worsening international relations.
• Formal Speeches and Written Reports: Analyzing a negative trend or a problem that is escalating.
• Literature: Used by authors to create a sense of pessimism or to describe the decline of a character's health or fortune.

It is generally not used in casual, everyday conversation among friends. For a similar but more colloquial meaning, one would more likely use `越来越差 (yuèláiyuè chà)` or `走下坡路 (zǒu xiàpōlù)`. The connotation is always negative, expressing concern, disappointment, or a grim assessment of a situation.

• Example 1:
  • 自从老董事长退休后，公司的经营状况便每况愈下。
  • Pinyin: Zìcóng lǎo dǒngshìzhǎng tuìxiū hòu, gōngsī de jīngyíng zhuàngkuàng biàn měikuàngyùxià.
  • English: Ever since the old chairman retired, the company's business situation has been going from bad to worse.
  • Analysis: A classic example of using the idiom in a business context to describe a steady decline in performance.
• Example 2:
  • 爷爷的身体每况愈下，我们都很担心他。
  • Pinyin: Yéye de shēntǐ měikuàngyùxià, wǒmen dōu hěn dānxīn tā.
  • English: Grandpa's health is steadily deteriorating, and we are all very worried about him.
  • Analysis: This shows how the idiom can be used to describe a person's declining health in a serious and concerned manner.
• Example 3:
  • 由于全球变暖，地球的生态环境正每况愈下。
  • Pinyin: Yóuyú quánqiú biànnuǎn, dìqiú de shēngtài huánjìng zhèng měikuàngyùxià.
  • English: Due to global warming, the Earth's ecological environment is getting progressively worse.
  • Analysis: Here, it's used to discuss a large-scale, serious issue like the environment. The formal nature of the idiom fits the gravity of the topic.
• Example 4:
  • 这支曾经的冠军球队，如今的表现真是每况愈下。
  • Pinyin: Zhè zhī céngjīng de guànjūn qiúduì, rújīn de biǎoxiàn zhēnshi měikuàngyùxià.
  • English: The performance of this once-champion team is now truly going from bad to worse.
  • Analysis: This is common in sports commentary to describe a team that has lost its former glory and is now consistently performing poorly.
• Example 5:
  • 失去了主要客户后，他们的销售额每况愈下。
  • Pinyin: Shīqùle zhǔyào kèhù hòu, tāmen de xiāoshòu'é měikuàngyùxià.
  • English: After losing their main client, their sales figures steadily deteriorated.
  • Analysis: A specific and formal way to describe a negative business trend.
• Example 6:
  • 战争结束后，该国的社会秩序每况愈下，犯罪率不断上升。
  • Pinyin: Zhànzhēng jiéshù hòu, gāi guó de shèhuì zhìxù měikuàngyùxià, fànzuìlǜ bùduàn shàngshēng.
  • English: After the war ended, the country's social order went from bad to worse, with crime rates continuously rising.
  • Analysis: Used to describe the decline of social stability, a common usage in news or historical analysis.
• Example 7:
  • 他沉迷于赌博，财务状况每况愈下，最后倾家荡产。
  • Pinyin: Tā chénmí yú dǔbó, cáiwù zhuàngkuàng měikuàngyùxià, zuìhòu qīngjiādàngchǎn.
  • English: He was addicted to gambling, his financial situation got worse and worse, and in the end, he lost everything.
  • Analysis: This shows the personal consequences of a deteriorating situation.
• Example 8:
  • 这家老牌工厂的技术创新能力每况愈下，已经跟不上时代了。
  • Pinyin: Zhè jiā lǎopái gōngchǎng de jìshù chuàngxīn nénglì měikuàngyùxià, yǐjīng gēn bù shàng shídài le.
  • English: This old factory's capacity for technological innovation has been steadily declining; it can no longer keep up with the times.
  • Analysis: Highlights a decline in a specific capability or quality.
• Example 9:
  • 随着城市化的发展，许多传统手艺的传承情况每况愈下。
  • Pinyin: Suízhe chéngshìhuà de fāzhǎn, xǔduō chuántǒng shǒuyì de chuánchéng qíngkuàng měikuàngyùxià.
  • English: With the development of urbanization, the situation for passing on many traditional crafts is getting worse and worse.
  • Analysis: Used here to lament the loss of cultural heritage, a common topic in social commentary.
• Example 10:
  • 尽管政府采取了措施，但失业问题似乎仍在每况愈下。
  • Pinyin: Jǐnguǎn zhèngfǔ cǎiqǔle cuòshī, dàn shīyè wèntí sìhū réng zài měikuàngyùxià.
  • English: Although the government has taken measures, the unemployment problem still seems to be deteriorating.
  • Analysis: A formal way to express that a problem is worsening despite efforts to solve it.

• Formality is Key: The most common mistake for learners is using 每况愈下 in casual conversation. If you want to say your day is getting worse, you should say `我今天越来越不顺了 (wǒ jīntiān yuèláiyuè bù shùn le)` not `我今天的情况每况愈下`. The latter sounds overly dramatic and bookish.
• Steady Trend, Not a Sudden Event: This idiom describes a gradual process. It is not suitable for a single, sudden negative event. For a sudden disaster, you might use `飞来横祸 (fēiláihènghuò)`. For one bad thing happening after another, you'd use `雪上加霜 (xuěshàngjiāshuāng)`.
• Incorrect Usage:
  • Wrong: 我做的这顿饭每况愈下。 (Wǒ zuò de zhè dùn fàn měikuàngyùxià.) → “The meal I am cooking is getting worse and worse.”
  • Why it's wrong: This doesn't make sense. The idiom describes a state or situation over a period of time, not the quality of a single action as it's happening.
  • Correct: 我做的饭太难吃了。 (Wǒ zuò de fàn tài nánchī le.) → “The meal I made is terrible.” Or, if you mean your cooking skills in general are declining: 我的厨艺每况愈下。 (Wǒ de chúyì měikuàngyùxià.)

• Antonym:
  • 蒸蒸日上 (zhēngzhēngrìshàng) - Becoming more prosperous and flourishing every day. The direct opposite.
  • 欣欣向荣 (xīnxīnxiàngróng) - Thriving, flourishing, prosperous.
• Synonyms/Similar Meaning:
  • 江河日下 (jiāng hé rì xià) - Literally “rivers flow down daily”; a very close synonym, also formal, describing a situation in decline.
  • 走下坡路 (zǒu xiàpōlù) - “To walk a downhill road”; a more colloquial and less literary way to say something is declining.
  • 越来越差 (yuèláiyuè chà) - “Getting worse and worse”; the most common and informal way to express this idea in daily conversation.
• Related Concepts:
  • 雪上加霜 (xuě shàng jiā shuāng) - “To add frost to snow”; to make a bad situation even worse with another problem. Describes compounding disasters rather than a steady decline.
  • 今非昔比 (jīn fēi xī bǐ) - “The present cannot compare to the past”; can be used to lament a decline, but can also be used positively to celebrate progress.
  • 日薄西山 (rì bó xī shān) - “The sun is setting behind the western hills”; a metaphor for something or someone being in decline, near the end of their life or influence.