不到黄河心不死

不到黃河心不死

búdàoHuángHéxīnbùsǐ

idiom

Meanings

1 to refuse to give up until all hope is gone
2 to keep going while some hope remains (lit. one's heart will not die until reaching the Yellow River)

Characters

Examples

他这个人不到黄河心不死，肯定还会再试一次。

Tā zhège rén bú dào Huáng Hé xīn bù sǐ, kěndìng hái huì zài shì yí cì.

He's the kind of person who never gives up — he'll definitely try again.

你不到黄河心不死，撞了南墙才肯回头。

Nǐ bú dào Huáng Hé xīn bù sǐ, zhuàng le nán qiáng cái kěn huí tóu.

You won't give up until you've hit a wall — only then will you turn back.

Tips

history

Recorded in the late-Qing novel 官场现形记 (Guānchǎng Xiànxíng Jì, 'Exposé of Officialdom') by Li Baojia. The Yellow River (黄河 Huáng Hé) is figured as the ultimate barrier — until you literally reach it, you keep believing you can press on.

usage

Often paired with 撞了南墙才回头 ('only turning back after hitting the south wall'). Can be admiring (perseverance) or critical (stubborn refusal to face facts) — context decides.

Stroke Order

不 bù

到 dào

黄 huáng

河 hé

心 xīn

死 sǐ