卧薪尝胆

臥薪嘗膽

wòxīn-chángdǎn

idiom #42,818

Meanings

1 to sleep on firewood and taste gall
2 to endure hardship to strengthen resolve
3 to nurse vengeance through self-discipline

Characters

firewood, brushwood

Examples

HSK 3

他卧薪尝胆十年，终于取得成功。

Tā wòxīn-chángdǎn shí nián, zhōngyú qǔdé chénggōng.

He endured ten years of hardship and finally achieved success.

HSK 4

中国足球要想冲出亚洲，必须卧薪尝胆。

Zhōngguó zúqiú yào xiǎng chōng chū Yàzhōu, bìxū wòxīn-chángdǎn.

For Chinese football to rise out of Asia, it must endure years of grinding effort.

HSK 4

失败后他卧薪尝胆，准备东山再起。

Shībài hòu tā wòxīn-chángdǎn, zhǔnbèi dōngshān-zàiqǐ.

After his defeat he nursed his resolve, preparing for a comeback.

Tips

history

From 《史记·越王勾践世家》. After King Goujian of Yue was defeated by Wu (c. 494 BCE), he slept on brushwood and tasted a hanging gall bladder each day to remind himself of his shame. Years later he destroyed Wu. The canonical story of long-term vengeance through self-discipline.

Stroke Order

卧 wò

薪 xīn

尝 cháng

胆 dǎn