白手起家

báishǒu-qǐjiā

idiom #17,019

Meanings

Literally 'with bare hands, build a household' - starting with nothing and creating a livelihood.

HSK 5

爷爷当年白手起家，非常不容易。

Yéye dāngnián báishǒu-qǐjiā, fēicháng bù róngyì.

Grandpa built everything from nothing back in the day - it wasn't easy at all.

HSK 5

很多企业家都是白手起家的。

Hěnduō qǐyèjiā dōu shì báishǒu-qǐjiā de.

Many entrepreneurs are self-made.

HSK 6

他白手起家，创办了一家大公司。

Tā báishǒu-qǐjiā, chuàngbàn le yī jiā dà gōngsī.

He started from scratch and founded a large company.

usage

白手起家 is always positive - it conveys admiration for someone who achieved success through hard work without any initial advantages or inheritance.

白 bái

手 shǒu

起 qǐ

家 jiā