臥薪嘗膽

See also: 卧薪尝胆

Chinese

	to lie; to crouch	fuel; salary	to taste; flavor; indicator of past tense to taste; flavor; indicator of past tense; already; ever; once; test; formerly	the gall; the nerve; courage the gall; the nerve; courage; guts; gall bladder
trad. (臥薪嘗膽/臥薪嚐膽)	臥	薪	嘗/嚐	膽
simp. (卧薪尝胆)	卧	薪	尝	胆
Literally: “to sleep on brushwood and taste gall”.

Etymology

From the story of the King Goujian of Yue [5th BCE], who forced himself to sleep on firewood and lick a gallbladder everyday to remember the humiliation of his previous defeat by the State of Wu.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): wòxīnchángdǎn

(Zhuyin): ㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧㄣㄔㄤˊ ㄉㄢˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): ngo⁶ san¹ soeng⁴ daam²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Pinyin: wòxīnchángdǎn
  - Zhuyin: ㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧㄣㄔㄤˊ ㄉㄢˇ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wohshincharngdaan
  - Tongyong Pinyin: wòsinchángdǎn
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɔ⁵¹ ɕin⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵ tän²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: ngo⁶ san¹ soeng⁴ daam²
  - Yale: ngoh sān sèuhng dáam
  - Cantonese Pinyin: ngo⁶ san¹ soeng⁴ daam²
  - Guangdong Romanization: ngo⁶ sen¹ sêng⁴ dam²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ŋɔː²² sɐn⁵⁵ sœ̽ːŋ²¹ täːm³⁵/

Idiom

臥薪嘗膽

to undergo self-imposed hardships; to nurse vengeance; to endure hardships to accomplish some ambition

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (臥薪嘗膽):

→ Japanese: 臥薪嘗胆 (がしんしょうたん) (gashinshōtan)
→ Korean: 와신상담 (臥薪嘗膽, wasinsangdam)
→ Vietnamese: ngọa tân thường đảm (臥薪嘗膽)

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