諺語 · a single proverb

吃chī得dé苦kǔ中zhōng苦kǔ，方fāng為wéi人rén上shàng人rén

Simplified: 吃得苦中苦，方为人上人

chī dé kǔ zhōng kǔ fāng wéi rén shàng rén

What does 吃得苦中苦，方為人上人 (chī dé kǔ zhōng kǔ fāng wéi rén shàng rén) mean?

吃得苦中苦，方為人上人 (chī dé kǔ zhōng kǔ fāng wéi rén shàng rén) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "able to eat the bitterest of bitter, only then become a person above persons." In use it means: Only those who endure the greatest hardships rise above others. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Tiger.

Literally: "able to eat the bitterest of bitter, only then become a person above persons."

The reading

The hardship that is willingly consumed-not endured passively but taken in deliberately as part of the work-is the substance of which exceptional lives are made. This is not celebration of suffering for its own sake but recognition of what difficulty does when it is met with discipline rather than avoidance: it builds something in the person that no comfortable life can build, and that thing becomes the foundation of everything afterward.

What kind of proverb it is

Source Traditional Chinese folk proverb (common in pedagogy and martial arts culture)

Sits beside

世態炎涼

shì tài yán liáng

The ways of the world are warm when you prosper and cold when you fall.

人有志氣不怕窮

rén yǒu zhì qì bù pà qióng

A person with determination is not afraid of poverty.

冬天來了，春天還會遠嗎

dōng tiān lái le chūn tiān hái huì yuǎn ma

After hardship, good times are coming.

Keep reading

Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Adversity & Resilience, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Tiger, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.

Questions

Is 吃得苦中苦，方為人上人 a real Chinese proverb?

Yes. 吃得苦中苦，方為人上人 (chī dé kǔ zhōng kǔ fāng wéi rén shàng rén) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese folk proverb (common in pedagogy and martial arts culture). It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.

How do you pronounce 吃得苦中苦，方為人上人?

In Mandarin it is chī dé kǔ zhōng kǔ fāng wéi rén shàng rén. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 吃得苦中苦，方為人上人 aloud in Mandarin.