📖 Meaning
This idiom describes living a life of extreme frugality and hardship while maintaining one's integrity and purity of character. It evokes the imagery of chewing on ice and bitter wild herbs to symbolize endurance of harsh conditions without compromising one's moral standards.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the preface to the Qing Dynasty tanci (ballad) adaptation of 'Jingzhong Zhuan' (The Tale of Loyalty), written by Li Shu. The preface recounts the story of a noblewoman who, after failing to perish with her martyred husband, traveled with her mother-in-law and a six-month-old orphaned infant back to Zhejiang, accompanying the coffin. Settling in modest lodgings at the Jiàn Yuǎn Shān Lóu in Tongmu Village, Hai'ning, she endured a life of bitter frugality while faithfully fulfilling her duties to both her elder and the child she raised.
💡 Example Usage
她在含冰茹檗的岁月中,独自把三个孩子抚养成才。
Through years of bitter hardship and frugal living, she single-handedly raised three children into accomplished adults.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 含冰茹檗
- Pinyin: hán bīng rú bò
- Literal Translation: holding ice in mouth, eating bitter herbs
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4