披荆斩棘

披荊斬棘

pījīngzhǎnjí

idiom #38,411

Meanings

1 to cut through thorns and brambles (idiom)
2 to overcome all obstacles; to blaze a trail

Characters

to split; hack through

Examples

创业路上，他披荆斩棘，终于取得了成功。

Chuàngyè lùshàng, tā pījīngzhǎnjí, zhōngyú qǔdé le chénggōng.

On his entrepreneurial road, he hacked through every obstacle and finally succeeded.

科研人员披荆斩棘，攻克了一个又一个难题。

Kēyán rényuán pījīngzhǎnjí, gōngkè le yīgè yòu yīgè nántí.

The researchers broke through obstacle after obstacle, cracking one hard problem after another.

Tips

history

From 《后汉书·冯异传》: the Han emperor Guangwu tells his general Feng Yi, '为吾披荆棘，定关中' — 'you cleared the thorns and brambles for me, settling the Guanzhong region.' Originally praise for trailblazing military effort.

Stroke Order

披 pī

荆 jīng

斩 zhǎn

棘 jí