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:
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.