语不惊人死不休

語不驚人死不休

yǔbùjīngrénsǐbùxiū

phrase

Meanings

1 if my words don't stun the reader I won't rest even in death
2 to strive relentlessly for a line that astonishes / to never settle for mediocre writing

Characters

Examples

这位作家追求语不惊人死不休，每句话都反复推敲。

Zhè wèi zuòjiā zhuīqiú yǔ bù jīng rén sǐ bù xiū, měi jù huà dōu fǎnfù tuīqiāo.

This writer lives by 'if it doesn't astonish, I won't rest' — she reworks every sentence.

他写标题总是语不惊人死不休，读者一眼就被吸引。

Tā xiě biāotí zǒngshì yǔ bù jīng rén sǐ bù xiū, dúzhě yī yǎn jiù bèi xīyǐn.

His headlines are always 'stun-or-die' — readers are hooked at first glance.

Tips

history

From Du Fu's (杜甫) Tang poem 《江上值水如海势聊短述》: 为人性僻耽佳句，语不惊人死不休 — 'By nature I'm eccentric, obsessed with fine lines; if my words don't stun people, I won't rest till death.' Du Fu's personal creed; now a stock phrase praising — or lightly mocking — writers who chase sensational phrasing.

usage

Can be genuine praise (a perfectionist author) or mild irony (a headline-writer going for shock value). Context decides.

Stroke Order

语 yǔ

不 bù

惊 jīng

人 rén

死 sǐ

休 xiū