任尔东西南北风

任爾東西南北風
rèněrdōngxīnánběifēng
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 let the winds blow from east, west, south, or north — steadfast, unshaken by any outside pressure
  2. 2 literally: let you [blow as] east, west, south or north wind

Examples

Tā xīn zhōng yǒu dìngjiàn, rèn ěr dōng xī nán běi fēng.
He has firm convictions — let all four winds blow as they may.
Gōngsī jiānchí chángqī zhànlüè, rèn ěr dōng xī nán běi fēng, bù wéi duǎnqī bōdòng suǒ dòng.
The company sticks to its long-term strategy — unmoved by short-term winds from any direction.

Tips

history
From Zheng Xie's (, better known as Zheng Banqiao) Qing-dynasty poem 《》 (Bamboo and Rock). The couplet reads: 东西南北 — 'After a thousand grindings and ten thousand blows it stands as firm as ever; let the east, west, south, and north winds blow as they will.' Written as an inscription on his own bamboo painting — the bamboo a metaphor for the upright scholar.
usage
Paired couplet — often quoted with its mate . Register is classical / inspirational; common in speeches about perseverance, political resolve, and corporate mission statements. here is read rèn (to let, to allow), not rén (surname).

Stroke Order

rèn
ěr
dōng
西
nán
běi
fēng