病树前头万木春

病樹前頭萬木春

bìngshùqiántóuwànmùchūn

phrase

Meanings

1 before the sickly tree, ten thousand trees bloom in spring
2 ahead of the dying tree, a forest greens again

Characters

head (前头 = in front of)

Examples

沉舟侧畔千帆过，病树前头万木春。

Chén zhōu cè pàn qiān fān guò, bìng shù qián tóu wàn mù chūn.

Beside the sunken boat a thousand sails pass by; before the sickly tree ten thousand trees bloom in spring.

传统产业虽然衰落，但病树前头万木春，新兴行业正蓬勃发展。

Chuántǒng chǎnyè suīrán shuāiluò, dàn bìng shù qián tóu wàn mù chūn, xīnxīng hángyè zhèng péngbó fāzhǎn.

Traditional industries may be declining, but like ten thousand trees blooming ahead of the sickly one, new industries are thriving.

Tips

history

From Liu Yuxi's 《酬乐天扬州初逢席上见赠》 (Tang dynasty, 826), second half of the couplet paired with 沉舟侧畔千帆过. After 23 years of exile, Liu Yuxi uses the image to insist that even in personal ruin, the forest of the living presses on.

usage

Always cited with 沉舟侧畔千帆过. Modern quotes treat the full couplet as a proverb of resilience and renewal — 'the world moves on, and so should you.'

Stroke Order

病 bìng

树 shù

前 qián

头 tóu

万 wàn

木 mù

春 chūn