諺語 · a single proverb
精忠報國
Simplified: 精忠报国
What does 精忠報國 (jīng zhōng bào guó) mean?
精忠報國 (jīng zhōng bào guó) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "with utmost loyalty, repay the nation." In use it means: Serving your country with total devotion. The kind of loyalty that holds even when it costs everything. 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 Dog.
Literally: "with utmost loyalty, repay the nation."
The reading
The story behind this is Yue Fei's mother tattooing four characters on his back before he went to war. She did not tell him to come home safe. She told him to serve. The tattoo was a reminder that some things are larger than personal survival, and he carried it into every battle until his last one.
What kind of proverb it is
Source History of the Song 宋史 (Yue Fei 岳飛傳)
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 Courage & Decisive Action, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 精忠報國 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 精忠報國 (jīng zhōng bào guó) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from History of the Song 宋史 (Yue Fei 岳飛傳). 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 精忠報國?
In Mandarin it is jīng zhōng bào guó. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 精忠報國 aloud in Mandarin.