extremely poor; in dire poverty; as poor as a church mouse
A literary set phrase describing extreme poverty, often used in formal or written contexts. The image is of being so poor that one must wash away poverty itself.
His household was in such dire poverty that they struggled even to eat the next day.
He worked desperately to escape a life of extreme poverty.
Common word for 'poor' or 'poverty'; 赤貧洗うが如し is a much stronger, literary expression.
Means 'extreme poverty' but is a noun; 赤貧洗うが如し is a full phrase with a classical feel.
Standard kanji form using 如し.
Kana rendering of 如し; equally valid but less common in formal writing.
From the Chinese expression 赤貧如洗, literally “utter poverty as if washed clean.” The image is of a household swept bare of possessions.