fǎn​qiú​fù​chú

to live in poverty

反裘负刍 反裘負芻 fǎn​qiú​fù​chú
to live in poverty
Literally "to wear one's fur coat inside out while carrying firewood"; describes a life of poverty and hard work.
to be foolish
Metaphorically refers to acting stupidly or mixing up the important and the trivial, similar to someone wearing a fur coat inside out to protect the fur only to have the leather backing worn away.

Cross-References

Variant of