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不坠青云之志

不墜青雲之志
bú zhuì qīngyún zhī zhì
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 to not let one's lofty ambitions fall
  2. 2 to hold fast to high aspirations despite setbacks
  3. 3 lit. not to let the aspiration to the blue clouds drop

Examples

HSK 7-9
虽屡遭挫折，他依然不坠青云之志。
Suī lǚ zāo cuòzhé, tā yīrán bù zhuì qīngyún zhī zhì.
Though he met setback after setback, he still did not let his lofty ambitions fall.
HSK 7-9
真正的读书人，穷困时也不坠青云之志。
Zhēnzhèng de dúshūrén, qióngkùn shí yě bù zhuì qīngyún zhī zhì.
A true scholar, even in poverty, does not let his high aspirations drop.

Tips

history
From Wang Bo's (王勃, early Tang) 《滕王阁序》: 老当益壮，宁移白首之心；穷且益坚，不坠青云之志 - 'Grown old, one should grow stronger, never change the heart that once was; stuck in hardship, one should grow firmer, never let the ambition for the blue clouds drop.' Written when Wang Bo was in his twenties, it became the classic rallying line for scholars in adversity.
usage
青云 ('blue clouds') is a classical metaphor for lofty official position or high ambition, as in 平步青云 'rise straight to the blue clouds.' 之志 = 'the ambition of...'.

Stroke Order

不 bù
坠 zhuì
青 qīng
云 yún
之 zhī
志 zhì