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臥薪嘗膽

简卧薪尝胆 · 繁臥薪嘗膽

Mandarin · pinyin wò xīn cháng dǎn

(lit.) to sleep on brushwood and taste gall (like King Goujian of Yue 勾踐 Gōu jiàn, in order to recall one's humiliations) (idiom)
(fig.) to maintain one's resolve for revenge

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Characters in this entry

臥: Look up this written character
薪: xīn · fuel, firewood; salary
嘗: Look up this written character
膽: Look up this written character
卧: wò · lie down; crouch
尝: cháng · taste; experience, experiment
胆: dǎn · gall bladder; bravery, courage

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Mandarin tones

4–1–2–3 · wo4 xin1 chang2 dan3

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臥薪嘗膽 · find source passages ↗ · 卧薪尝胆 · find source passages ↗

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

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

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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