諺語 · a single proverb
臥薪嘗膽
Simplified: 卧薪尝胆
What does 臥薪嘗膽 (wò xīn cháng dǎn) mean?
臥薪嘗膽 (wò xīn cháng dǎn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "sleep on brushwood, taste gall." In use it means: Endure self-imposed hardship and never let comfort dull your resolve, so you can rise from defeat. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Snake.
Literally: "sleep on brushwood, taste gall."
The reading
You laid a bed of firewood under your own back and hung something bitter where you would taste it each morning, because comfort has a way of quietly talking you out of what you swore to do. Keep the sting close; it is the only alarm loyalty ever answers to.
The story
The phrase gathers up the story of King Goujian of Yue, told in the Records of the Grand Historian. Defeated and humiliated by the state of Wu, Goujian slept on brushwood and hung a gall bladder where he would taste its bitterness every day, so that comfort could never dull his resolve. After years of this discipline he rebuilt his strength and destroyed Wu.
When you have sworn to do a hard thing, keep some deliberate sting close, because comfort quietly talks people out of what they promised. Put the reminder where you cannot avoid it, and let the bitterness be the alarm your resolve answers to.
What kind of proverb it is
Source 《史記·越王句踐世家》 (Records of the Grand Historian); phrase crystallized in Song-era writing
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 Snake, Year of the Dragon, Year of the Horse, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 臥薪嘗膽 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 臥薪嘗膽 (wò xīn cháng dǎn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from 《史記·越王句踐世家》 (Records of the Grand Historian); phrase crystallized in Song-era writing. 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 臥薪嘗膽?
In Mandarin it is wò xīn cháng dǎn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 臥薪嘗膽 aloud in Mandarin.