任尔东西南北风

任爾東西南北風
rèn ěr dōng xī nán běi fēng
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 let the winds blow from east, west, south, or north - steadfast, unshaken by any outside pressure
  2. 2 literally: let you [blow as] east, west, south or north wind

Examples

HSK 4
Tā xīnzhōng yǒu dìngjiàn, rèn ěr dōng xī nán běi fēng.
He has firm convictions - let all four winds blow as they may.
HSK 6
Gōngsī jiānchí chángqī zhànlüè, rèn ěr dōng xī nán běi fēng, bù wéi duǎnqī bōdòng suǒ dòng.
The company sticks to its long-term strategy - unmoved by short-term winds from any direction.

Tips

history
From Zheng Xie's (郑燮, better known as 郑板桥) Qing-dynasty poem 《竹石》 (Bamboo and Rock). The couplet reads: 千磨万击还坚劲,任尔东西南北风 - 'After a thousand grindings and ten thousand blows it stands as firm as ever; let the east, west, south, and north winds blow as they will.' Written as an inscription on his own bamboo painting - the bamboo a metaphor for the upright scholar.
usage
Paired couplet - often quoted with its mate 千磨万击还坚劲. Register is classical / inspirational; common in speeches about perseverance, political resolve, and corporate mission statements. here is read rèn (to let, to allow), not rén (surname).

Stroke Order

rèn
ěr
dōng
西
nán
běi
fēng