白手起家 (bái shǒu qǐ jiā) — (idiom) to start from scratch; to build something from nothing through one's own efforts
Definition
Literally 'start a family with bare hands': to build a business or career from nothing, with no money, help, or resources behind you. Highlights the difficulty of succeeding entirely by one's own effort.
idiom
to start from scratchto build something from nothing through one's own efforts
Examples
- 白手起家，。Tā bái shǒu qǐ jiā, shí nián hòu zhōng yú chuàng lì le zì jǐ de gōng sī.He started from scratch, and ten years later finally established his own company.
- 白手起家。Zhè wèi bái shǒu qǐ jiā de qǐ yè jiā zuì chū zhǐ yǒu yì jiān xiǎo zuō fang.This self-made entrepreneur initially only had a small workshop.
- 白手起家，。Hěn duō nián qīng rén mèng xiǎng bái shǒu qǐ jiā, dàn zhēn zhèng zuò dào de què bù duō.Many young people dream of starting from scratch, but those who actually make it are few.
Appears in
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