📖 Meaning
The will of pine and cypress. A metaphor for unwavering moral integrity and steadfast resolve that endures through hardship, just as pine and cypress trees remain green through the harshest winter. It describes a person whose principles do not bend under adversity.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase draws on the ancient Chinese symbolism of pine and cypress trees, which stay evergreen through bitter winters while other trees wither. This imagery originates from a famous line in the Confucian Analects (论语): 'Only when the year grows cold do we know that pine and cypress are the last to fade.' Later writers extended this image to human character, coining '松柏之志' to denote steadfast moral resolve. The idiom is not tied to a single historical anecdote but draws on centuries of literary tradition associating these evergreens with integrity and resilience.
💡 Example Usage
他在困境中始终坚守松柏之志，从不向困难低头。
Through every hardship, he held fast to his unwavering resolve and never bowed to difficulty.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 松柏之志
- Pinyin: sōng bǎi zhī zhì
- Literal Translation: pine, cypress, 's, will
- Category: Determination
- Characters: 4