或重于泰山

或重於泰山

huò zhòng yú Tài Shān

quotation

Meanings

1 or weightier than Mount Tai
2 or as heavy as Mount Tai
3 Sima Qian's line measuring the worth of a death

Characters

Examples

HSK 7-9

人固有一死，或重于泰山，或轻于鸿毛。

Réngùyǒuyìsǐ, huòzhòngyútàishān, huòqīngyúhóngmáo.

Every man must die - some deaths are weightier than Mount Tai, some lighter than a goose feather.

HSK 7-9

消防员牺牲在火场，是或重于泰山的死。

Xiāofáng yuán xīshēng zài huǒchǎng, shì huòzhòngyútàishān de sǐ.

The firefighter who died in the blaze - his death weighed heavier than Mount Tai.

Tips

history

From Sima Qian's 《报任安书》: 人固有一死，或重于泰山，或轻于鸿毛，用之所趋异也. Sima Qian wrote it to Ren An after suffering castration, defending why he chose to endure disgrace and live on - to finish the 《史记》. Mao Zedong quoted it in 《为人民服务》 mourning Zhang Side, making the line a household saying.

usage

Always paired with 或轻于鸿毛. Here 或 = 'some', and 于 = 'than'. Mount Tai in Shandong, first of the Five Sacred Mountains, is an ancient symbol of weight and dignity.

Stroke Order

或 huò

重 zhòng

于 yú

泰 tài

山 shān