📖 Meaning
This idiom describes someone who sleeps on coarse firewood and tastes bitter gall to endure hardship and spur themselves on. It portrays extreme self-discipline and determination to suffer in the short term in order to achieve future success or revenge.
📜 Origin Story
During the Spring and Autumn period, King Goujian of Yue was defeated and captured by the State of Wu. After his release and return to Yue, he refused comfort: he slept on rough firewood and tasted bitter gall each day to keep the shame of defeat fresh in his mind. This relentless self-remembrance drove him to rebuild his kingdom's strength until, years later, he finally defeated Wu and restored Yue's power. The story, recorded in Sima Qian's 'Records of the Grand Historian,' became a lasting symbol of patient, painful determination.
💡 Example Usage
为了报仇雪耻，他尝胆卧薪整整十年。
To avenge his humiliation, he endured hardship—sleeping on firewood and tasting gall—for ten full years.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 尝胆卧薪
- Pinyin: cháng dǎn wò xīn
- Literal Translation: taste gall, sleep on firewood
- Category: Perseverance
- Characters: 4