Tā shēnghuó pínkǔ, rénbùkānqíyōu, dàn tā shǐzhōng lèguān.
His life was poor enough that others couldn't bear it, but he remained cheerful throughout.
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From 《论语·雍也》 (Analects, 'Yongye'): 贤哉回也！一箪食，一瓢饮，在陋巷，人不堪其忧，回也不改其乐。贤哉回也！ — 'How worthy Hui is! A basket of rice, a gourd of drink, a shabby alley — others could not bear such grief, yet Hui's joy never changed. How worthy Hui is!' Confucius's most famous praise of his favorite disciple Yan Hui (颜回).
usage
堪 (kān) here means 'to be able to endure / bear up under.' The line only makes sense as contrast — it's always paired with 回也不改其乐 ('Hui did not change his joy'). The construction 人不堪其X ('others could not bear X') still turns up in modern writing.
