Tā shēnghuó pínkǔ, rénbùkānqíyōu, dàn tā shǐzhōng lèguān.
His life was poor enough that others couldn't bear it, but he remained cheerful throughout.
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From 《论语·雍也》 (Analects, "Yongye"): 贤哉回也！一箪食，一瓢饮，在陋巷，人不堪其忧，回也不改其乐。贤哉回也！ "How worthy Hui is! A basket of rice, a gourd of drink, a shabby alley; others could not bear such grief, yet Hui’s joy never changed. How worthy Hui is!" Confucius’s most famous praise of his favorite disciple Yan Hui (颜回).
usage
堪 here means "to be able to endure / bear up under." The line only makes sense as contrast, it is always paired with 回也不改其乐 ("Hui did not change his joy"). The construction 人不堪其X ("others could not bear X") still turns up in modern writing.
