自強不息

See also: 自强不息

Chinese

		to strive for self-improvement; fastest class of non-high-speed intercity trains	to not stop; to be ceaseless
trad. (自強不息)		自強	不息
simp. (自强不息)		自强	不息

Etymology

From I Ching, Hexagram 1 (《易經·乾卦》):

天行健，君子以自強不息。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

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天行健，君子以自强不息。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: I Ching, 11^th – 8^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Tiān xíng jiàn, jūnzǐ yǐ zìqiáng bùxī. [Pinyin]

Heaven, in its motion, (gives the idea of) strength. The superior man, in accordance with this, nerves himself to ceaseless activity.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zìqiángbùxī, zìqiángbùxí

  (Zhuyin): ㄗˋ ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧ, ㄗˋ ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zi⁶ koeng⁴ bat¹ sik¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chīr-kiông-put-siak / chū-kiông-put-sek / chū-kiâng-put-sek

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zìqiángbùxī
    • Zhuyin: ㄗˋ ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: zìhciángbùsi
    • Wade–Giles: tzŭ⁴-chʻiang²-pu⁴-hsi¹
    • Yale: dz̀-chyáng-bù-syī
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzyhchyangbushi
    • Palladius: цзыцянбуси (czycjanbusi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sz̩⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹ ɕi⁵⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zìqiángbùxí
    • Zhuyin: ㄗˋ ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: zìhciángbùsí
    • Wade–Giles: tzŭ⁴-chʻiang²-pu⁴-hsi²
    • Yale: dz̀-chyáng-bù-syí
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzyhchyangbushyi
    • Palladius: цзыцянбуси (czycjanbusi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sz̩⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹ ɕi³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zi⁶ koeng⁴ bat¹ sik¹
    • Yale: jih kèuhng bāt sīk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzi⁶ koeng⁴ bat⁷ sik⁷
    • Guangdong Romanization: ji⁶ kêng⁴ bed¹ xig¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː²² kʰœːŋ²¹ pɐt̚⁵ sɪk̚⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chīr-kiông-put-siak
    • Tâi-lô: tsīr-kiông-put-siak
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sɯ⁴¹⁻²² kiɔŋ²⁴⁻²² put̚⁵⁻²⁴ siak̚⁵/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chū-kiông-put-sek
    • Tâi-lô: tsū-kiông-put-sik
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zuxkiongputseg
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡su³³⁻¹¹ kiɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪk̚³²/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡su³³⁻²¹ kiɔŋ²³⁻³³ put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪk̚³²/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡su²²⁻²¹ kiɔŋ²⁴⁻²² put̚³²⁻⁴ siɪk̚³²/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chū-kiâng-put-sek
    • Tâi-lô: tsū-kiâng-put-sik
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zuxkiangputseg
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡su²²⁻²¹ kiaŋ¹³⁻²² put̚³²⁻⁵ siɪk̚³²/

Idiom

自強不息

1. to strive to better oneself constantly and never slacken

Related terms

• 天行健，君子以自強不息／天行健，君子以自强不息 (tiān xíng jiàn, jūnzǐ yǐ zìqiángbùxī)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (自強不息):

• → Korean: 자강불식(自強不息) (jagangbulsik)