壮士一去兮不复还

壯士一去兮不復還

zhuàngshìyīqùxībùfùhuán

phrase

Meanings

1 the brave warrior, once departed, shall never return
2 a heroic farewell before a one-way mission

Characters

warrior; scholar

(Chu-style sigh particle)

Examples

他临行前说了句"壮士一去兮不复还"，听得人心里发紧。

Tā línxíng qián shuō le jù "zhuàngshì yī qù xī bù fù huán", tīng de rén xīnli fā jǐn.

Before leaving he uttered 'the warrior once gone shall not return' — it gave everyone a chill.

创业就像壮士一去兮不复还，拼的是决心。

Chuàngyè jiù xiàng zhuàngshì yī qù xī bù fù huán, pīn de shì juéxīn.

Starting a business is like a warrior's one-way farewell — it's all about resolve.

Tips

history

From 荆轲 Jing Ke's 《易水歌》 (Song of the Yi River), recorded in 《战国策》. The full couplet is 风萧萧兮易水寒，壮士一去兮不复还 — sung as Jing Ke set out to assassinate the King of Qin (227 BC). He never came back.

usage

Usually quoted alongside the first half 风萧萧兮易水寒. The 兮 (xī) is a Chu-style exclamatory particle, like a sigh, common in 《楚辞》-style verse.

Stroke Order

壮 zhuàng

士 shì

一 yī

去 qù

兮 xī

不 bù

复 fù

还 hái