前仆后继 (qián pū hòu jì) — (chengyu) one falls, another steps forward — brave, relentless succession; advancing wave after wave

Definition

A chengyu meaning people keep stepping forward even as others fall — emphasizes heroic, fearless persistence. 仆 here means 'fall', not 'servant' (仆人).

idiom
(chengyu) one fallsanother steps forward — braverelentless successionadvancing wave after wave

Examples

  • 前仆后继，。
    Gé mìng xiān liè qián pū hòu jì, wèi le lǐ xiǎng zhàn dòu dào dǐ.
    The revolutionary martyrs stepped forward one after another, fighting for their ideals to the end.
  • ，前仆后继，。
    Zài xiàng mù zuì kùn nan de shí hou, tuán duì chéng yuán qián pū hòu jì, méi yǒu rén hòu tuì.
    At the project's most difficult time, the team members stepped up one after another; no one retreated.
  • 前仆后继，。
    Zhèng shì zhè zhǒng qián pū hòu jì de jīng shén, ràng wǒ men zuì zhōng qǔ dé le shèng lì.
    It was this spirit of unyielding succession that allowed us to finally achieve victory.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

前仆front ones fall
前qiánfront仆púfall
主谓Subject + predicate
后继rear ones continue
后hòurear继jìcontinue
主谓Subject + predicate

'前' ones fall, '后' ones continue, so the picture is wave after wave advancing.

Characters in this word

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

In the older form of 前, 止 (foot) and 舟 (boat) showed a foot on a boat moving forward; in the current 前 those parts are shortened.

Open 前 →

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
人人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
卜
卜bǔ仆pú
Same sound today

The left side 人 marks the character as related to a person, and the right side 卜 gives its sound.

Open 仆 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

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 繼; 继 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìrope
Sound part声符shēngfú
㡭
㡭㡭繼jì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 繼 pairs 糸 (rope) with 㡭 as a sound part; an older form may have shown four silk strands. The simplified 继 is only a later shorthand.

Open 继 →

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