諺語 · a single proverb
披荊斬棘
Simplified: 披荆斩棘
What does 披荊斬棘 (pī jīng zhǎn jí) mean?
披荊斬棘 (pī jīng zhǎn jí) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "parting thorns and cutting brambles." In use it means: Clearing a path through difficulty; pioneering through obstacles that block the way for 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: "parting thorns and cutting brambles."
The reading
The first person through the brush takes every scratch. The second person walks a path. This is the economy of pioneering: one person pays in cuts what everyone after them saves in ease. If you are the one in front, the thorns are your contribution. If you are behind, the path is your debt.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Book of the Later Han 後漢書, Feng Yi biography (馮異傳)
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 Tiger, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 披荊斬棘 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 披荊斬棘 (pī jīng zhǎn jí) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Book of the Later Han 後漢書, Feng Yi biography (馮異傳). 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 披荊斬棘?
In Mandarin it is pī jīng zhǎn jí. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 披荊斬棘 aloud in Mandarin.