自谋生路 (zì móu shēng lù) — to earn one's own living; to be self-supporting

Definition

A formal phrase meaning 'to earn one's own living' or 'to fend for oneself,' often with a sense of independence or hardship. It's more literary than plain 谋生 ('make a living'), adding the self-reliant flavor of 自谋.

verb
to earn one's own livingto be self-supporting

Examples

  • ，自谋生路。
    Tā bì yè hòu jiù lí kāi jiā, kāi shǐ zì móu shēng lù le.
    After graduation, he left home and began to make a living on his own.
  • 。
    Hěn duō rén xuǎn zé chuàng yè lái zì móu shēng lù.
    Many people choose to start a business to earn their own living.
  • 自谋生路，。
    Tā cóng xiǎo jiù xué huì zì móu shēng lù, fēi cháng dú lì.
    She learned from a young age to be self-supporting and is very independent.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

自谋seek for oneself
自zìself谋móuseek
偏正Modifier + head
生路way of living
生shēngliving路lùway
偏正Modifier + head

'自谋' (seek for oneself) and '生路' (way of living) combine to mean finding one's own means of living.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 自 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 謀; 谋 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
某
某mǒu謀móu
Same sound today

The traditional form 謀 uses 言 to show it relates to speech and 某 to show its sound; the simplified 谋 is a later shorthand.

Open 谋 →

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

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

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
足足zú
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè路lù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

路 combines 足, a foot, with 各, which supplies the sound.

Open 路 →

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