自作孽，不可活

Chinese

		from; self; oneself from; self; oneself; since	to do evil; to commit a sin		cannot; should not; must not	to live; alive; living to live; alive; living; work; workmanship
trad. (自作孽，不可活)		自	作孽	，	不可	活
simp. #(自作孽，不可活)		自	作孽	，	不可	活
alternative forms		自作孽不可活

Etymology

From Mencius (《孟子·公孫丑上》), citing the Book of Documents:

《太甲》曰：『天作孽，猶可違；自作孽，不可活。』 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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《太甲》曰：『天作孽，犹可违；自作孽，不可活。』 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

“Tàijiǎ” yuē: ‘Tiān zuòniè, yóu kě wéi; zì zuòniè, bùkě huó.’ [Pinyin]

By the passage of the Tai Jia, "When Heaven sends down calamities, it is still possible to escape from them; when we occasion the calamities ourselves, it is not possible any longer to live."

The text in the Forged Old Text of the Book of Documents is slightly different (《尚書·太甲》):

欲敗度，縱敗禮，以速戾于厥躬。天作孽，猶可違；自作孽，不可逭。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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欲败度，纵败礼，以速戾于厥躬。天作孽，犹可违；自作孽，不可逭。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Forged Old Text of the Book of Documents, circa 3^rd – 4^th century CE

Yù bài dù, zòng bài lǐ, yǐ sù lì yú jué gōng. Tiān zuòniè, yóu kě wéi; zì zuòniè, bùkě huàn. [Pinyin]

By my desires I was setting at nought all rules of conduct, and violating by my self-indulgence all rules of propriety, and the result must have been speedy ruin to my person. Calamities sent by Heaven may be avoided, but from calamities brought on by one's self there is no escape.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zìzuòniè, bùkěhuó

  (Zhuyin): ㄗˋ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄋㄧㄝˋ , ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄏㄨㄛˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zi⁶ zok³ jip⁶, bat¹ ho² wut⁶, zi⁶ zok³ jit⁶, bat¹ ho² wut⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zìzuòniè, bùkěhuó
    • Zhuyin: ㄗˋ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄋㄧㄝˋ , ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄏㄨㄛˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: zìhzuòniè, bùkěhuó
    • Wade–Giles: tzŭ⁴-tso⁴-nieh⁴, pu⁴-kʻo³-huo²
    • Yale: dz̀-dzwò-nyè-, bù-kě-hwó
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzyhtzuohnieh, bukeehwo
    • Palladius: цзыцзоне, букэхо (czyczone, bukɛxo)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ni̯ɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ɔ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zi⁶ zok³ jip⁶, bat¹ ho² wut⁶, zi⁶ zok³ jit⁶, bat¹ ho² wut⁶
    • Yale: jih jok yihp, bāt hó wuht, jih jok yiht, bāt hó wuht
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzi⁶ dzok⁸ jip⁹, bat⁷ ho² wut⁹, dzi⁶ dzok⁸ jit⁹, bat⁷ ho² wut⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: ji⁶ zog³ yib⁶, bed¹ ho² wud⁶, ji⁶ zog³ yid⁶, bed¹ ho² wud⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː²² t͡sɔːk̚³ jiːp̚² pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ wuːt̚²/, /t͡siː²² t͡sɔːk̚³ jiːt̚² pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ wuːt̚²/

Idiom

自作孽，不可活

1. to bear the disastrous consequences of one's own misdeeds