臥薪嘗膽
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See also: 卧薪尝胆
Chinese[edit]
to lie; to crouch | fuel; salary | to taste; flavour; indicator of past tense to taste; flavour; indicator of past tense; already; ever; once; test; formerly |
the gall; the nerve; courage the gall; the nerve; courage; guts; gall bladder | ||
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trad. (臥薪嘗膽/臥薪嚐膽) | 臥 | 薪 | 嘗/嚐 | 膽 | |
simp. (卧薪尝胆) | 卧 | 薪 | 尝 | 胆 | |
Literally: “to sleep on brushwood and taste gall”. |
Etymology[edit]
From the story of the King Goujian of Yue [5th BCE], who forced himself to sleep on firewood and lick a gallbladder everyday to remember the humiliation of his previous defeat by the State of Wu.
Pronunciation[edit]
Idiom[edit]
臥薪嘗膽
- to undergo self-imposed hardships; to nurse vengeance; to endure hardships to accomplish some ambition
Descendants[edit]
Sino-Xenic (臥薪嘗膽):
- → Japanese: 臥薪嘗胆 (gashinshōtan)
- → Korean: 와신상담(臥薪嘗膽) (wasinsangdam)
- → Vietnamese: ngọa tân thường đảm (臥薪嘗膽)
- → Vietnamese: nằm gai nếm mật, nếm mật nằm gai (calques)