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行拂乱其所为

行拂亂其所為
xíng fú luàn qí suǒ wéi
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 heaven disorders and frustrates everything he does
  2. 2 every plan the future hero makes is thwarted
  3. 3 Mencius's picture of the trials before great responsibility

Examples

HSK 7-9
天将降大任，必先行拂乱其所为。
Tiān jiāng jiàng dàrèn, bì xiān xíng fú luàn qí suǒ wéi.
Before heaven bestows a great mission, it first frustrates and disorders every move he makes.
HSK 7-9
事业的挫折就像行拂乱其所为，是成长的必经之路。
Shìyè de cuòzhé jiù xiàng xíng fú luàn qí suǒ wéi, shì chéngzhǎng de bìjīng zhī lù.
Career setbacks are like heaven 'disordering all one does' - a necessary stage of growth.

Tips

history
From 《孟子·告子下》 (Mencius, 'Gaozi II'): 天将降大任于斯人也，必先苦其心志，劳其筋骨，饿其体肤，空乏其身，行拂乱其所为，所以动心忍性，曾益其所不能 - 'Heaven, about to entrust a great mission, first embitters his heart, works his bones, starves his flesh, empties his being, disorders all he does, thereby stirring the heart and tempering the nature, and adding to what he could not before.' The canonical Chinese 'adversity builds character' passage.
usage
拂 here is read fú ('to frustrate / brush against'), not bì. 行 (xíng) = 'in action / in what he does'; 拂乱 (fúluàn) = 'obstruct and disorder'; 其所为 = 'that which he does.' Usually quoted together with 苦其心志 and 劳其筋骨.

Stroke Order

行 xíng
拂 fú
乱 luàn
其 qí
所 suǒ
为 wéi