endure hardships to avenge humiliation; self-discipline for revenge
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to endure hardships and discipline oneself to avenge humiliation and achieve a goal
formalOriginated from the story of King Goujian of Yue (5th century BCE), who, after being defeated by the State of Wu, slept on firewood (薪) and tasted gall (胆) before meals to remind himself of the bitterness of defeat. Historical note: Records of the Grand Historian (史记) mentions only the 'tasting gall' part; the full phrase '卧薪尝胆' first appeared in Su Shi's writings.
Gōu勾
Jiàn践
wò卧
xīn薪
cháng尝
dǎn胆
，
zhōng终
yú于
dǎ打
bài败
le了
Wú吴
guó国
。
King Goujian endured hardships and eventually defeated the State of Wu.
Wǒ我
men们
yào要
wò卧
xīn薪
cháng尝
dǎn胆
，
nǔ努
lì力
xué学
xí习
，
jiāng将
lái来
bào报
xiào效
zǔ祖
guó国
。
We must discipline ourselves and study hard to serve our country in the future.
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Jīng经
lì历
le了
nà那
cì次
shī失
bài败
，
tā他
wò卧
xīn薪
cháng尝
dǎn胆
，
sān三
nián年
hòu后
zhōng终
yú于
huò获
dé得
le了
guàn冠
jūn军
。
After that defeat, he endured hardships and finally won the championship three years later.