披荆斩棘 (pī jīng zhǎn jí) — to hack one's way through difficulties; to overcome obstacles on the path to success

Definition

A chengyu for pushing through thorns and brambles — a vivid image of overcoming hardship on the road to success. Use it to praise perseverance, never for small everyday troubles.

idiom
to hack one's way through difficultiesto overcome obstacles on the path to success

Examples

  • 披荆斩棘，。
    Tā pī jīng zhǎn jí, zhōng yú chuàng bàn le zì jǐ de gōng sī.
    He hacked his way through difficulties and finally founded his own company.
  • 披荆斩棘。
    Chuàng yè de lù shang xū yào pī jīng zhǎn jí de jīng shén.
    On the path of entrepreneurship, you need the spirit of overcoming obstacles.
  • 披荆斩棘，。
    Qián bèi men pī jīng zhǎn jí, wèi wǒ men dǎ xià le jī chǔ.
    The predecessors hacked their way through difficulties and laid the foundation for us.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
皮
皮pí披pī
Same sound today

披 pairs 扌 (hand) with 皮, which gives the sound.

Open 披 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 荆 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 斬; 斩 is its simplified writing.

  • 斤斤jīnaxe
  • 車車jūcart; vehicle

The traditional form 斬 combines 斤 (axe) and 車 (cart) to show an old punishment where carts tore apart a body, giving the sense 'to cut'; the simplified 斩 is only a shorthand.

Open 斩 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 棘 →

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