春风吹又生

春風吹又生

chūnfēng chuī yòu shēng

quotation #61,939

Meanings

1 when the spring wind blows, it grows again
2 irrepressible vitality / something that revives no matter how often it is cut down

Characters

Examples

HSK 6

野草烧不尽，春风吹又生，这种精神值得学习。

Yěcǎo shāo bùjìn, chūnfēng chuī yòu shēng, zhèzhǒng jīngshén zhídé xuéxí.

'You can't burn the wild grass away; the spring wind will make it grow again.' That spirit is worth learning from.

HSK 7-9

盗版问题屡禁不止，春风吹又生。

Dàobǎn wèntí lǚ jìn bùzhǐ, chūnfēng chuī yòu shēng.

Piracy is banned over and over but keeps springing back, like grass in the spring wind.

Tips

history

The second half of a famous couplet in Bai Juyi's (白居易) Tang poem 《赋得古原草送别》: 离离原上草，一岁一枯荣。野火烧不尽，春风吹又生 - 'Lush grasses on the old plain, each year they wither and flourish. Wildfire cannot burn them off; the spring wind blows and they grow again.' Written when Bai was sixteen.

usage

Can be positive (resilience, a cause that cannot be suppressed) or negative (a recurring problem that keeps returning). Usually paired with 野火烧不尽 for the full allusion.

Stroke Order

春 chūn

风 fēng

吹 chuī

又 yòu

生 shēng