生灵涂炭 | shēng líng tú tàn

In his July 1 speech, Xi Jinping used this 成语 to describe the situation China was in after Western imperialists arrived and the feudal order rotted.

MEANING

The people were plunged into an abyss of misery

ORIGINAL

在几千年的历史发展中，中华民族创造了悠久灿烂的中华文明，为人类作出了卓越贡献，成为世界上伟大的民族。但是，近代以后，由于西方列强的入侵，由于封建统治的腐败，中国逐渐成为半殖民地半封建社会，山河破碎，生灵涂炭，中华民族遭受了前所未有的苦难。

SOURCE

https://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2017-02/13/c_1120459366.htm