諺語 · a single proverb
忍辱負重
Simplified: 忍辱负重
What does 忍辱負重 (rěn rǔ fù zhòng) mean?
忍辱負重 (rěn rǔ fù zhòng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "endure humiliation, carry heavy burden." In use it means: To endure disgrace and bear heavy responsibility for a greater purpose. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Ox.
Literally: "endure humiliation, carry heavy burden."
The reading
Some loads are carried not because they are fair but because someone must carry them, and you are the one who can. The indignity of the moment is real and the purpose behind it is also real; both can be true at once. What is borne with grace becomes, over time, something like strength.
What kind of proverb it is
Source San Guo Zhi 三國志·蜀志·諸葛亮傳 (Zhūgě Liàng biography)
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 Perseverance & the Long Road, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Ox, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 忍辱負重 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 忍辱負重 (rěn rǔ fù zhòng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from San Guo Zhi 三國志·蜀志·諸葛亮傳 (Zhūgě Liàng biography). 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 忍辱負重?
In Mandarin it is rěn rǔ fù zhòng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 忍辱負重 aloud in Mandarin.