卧薪尝胆

臥薪嘗膽

wòxīn-chángdǎn

idiom #42,818

Meanings

1 to sleep on firewood and taste gall
2 to endure hardship to strengthen resolve
3 to nurse vengeance through self-discipline

Characters

firewood, brushwood

Examples

HSK 4

他卧薪尝胆十年，终于取得成功。

Tā wòxīn-chángdǎn shí nián, zhōngyú qǔdé chénggōng.

He endured ten years of hardship and finally achieved success.

HSK 4

失败后他卧薪尝胆，准备东山再起。

Shībài hòu tā wòxīn-chángdǎn, zhǔnbèi dōngshān-zàiqǐ.

After his defeat he nursed his resolve, preparing for a comeback.

HSK 5

中国足球要想冲出亚洲，必须卧薪尝胆。

Zhōngguó zúqiú yào xiǎng chōng chū Yàzhōu, bìxū wòxīn-chángdǎn.

For Chinese football to rise out of Asia, it must endure years of grinding effort.

Tips

history

From 《史记·越王勾践世家》. After King Goujian of Yue was defeated by Wu (c. 494 BCE), he slept on brushwood and tasted a hanging gall bladder each day to remind himself of his shame. Years later he destroyed Wu. The canonical story of long-term vengeance through self-discipline.

Stroke Order

卧 wò

薪 xīn

尝 cháng

胆 dǎn