发愤图强

發憤圖強

fāfèn-túqiáng

idiom HSK 7

Meanings

1 to work hard to become strong; to strive for self-improvement

Characters

to emit; to rouse

indignation; determination

to seek; to pursue

strong; powerful

Literally 'to rouse one's determination and seek strength' — channeling frustration into self-improvement.

Examples

经历了失败，他发愤图强，终于成功了。

Jīnglì le shībài, tā fāfèn-túqiáng, zhōngyú chénggōng le.

After experiencing failure, he worked hard to become stronger and finally succeeded.

我们要发愤图强，不能落后。

Wǒmen yào fāfèn-túqiáng, bù néng luòhòu.

We must strive to become stronger and not fall behind.

Tips

mistakes

Don't confuse 发愤 (fāfèn, to rouse one's determination) with 发奋 (fāfèn, to work energetically). Both are valid but 发愤图强 specifically uses 愤 (indignation) — the idea is that anger at your situation fuels your drive to improve.

Stroke Order

发 fā

愤 fèn

图 tú

强 qiáng