諺語 · a single proverb
發憤圖強
Simplified: 发愤图强
What does 發憤圖強 (fā fèn tú qiáng) mean?
發憤圖強 (fā fèn tú qiáng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "transforming resentment into determination to grow stronger." In use it means: Using frustration, shame, or anger as fuel for self-improvement; converting negative emotion into positive momentum. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dragon.
Literally: "transforming resentment into determination to grow stronger."
The reading
The anger is there. It is not going anywhere. The question is what it drives. It can drive destruction or construction, and the hands it moves are the same hands either way. The person who takes the sting of failure and uses it to build something is not suppressing the emotion. They are refining it.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Records of the Grand Historian 史記; modern usage from Qing reform era
Sits beside
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 Dragon, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 發憤圖強 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 發憤圖強 (fā fèn tú qiáng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Records of the Grand Historian 史記; modern usage from Qing reform era. 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 發憤圖強?
In Mandarin it is fā fèn tú qiáng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 發憤圖強 aloud in Mandarin.