孜孜不倦 (zī zī bù juàn) — diligently and tirelessly; indefatigably

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning working or studying with tireless, steady effort. Used in formal writing to praise sustained diligence, often with 地 as an adverbial.

idiom
diligently and tirelesslyindefatigably

Examples

  • 孜孜不倦，。
    Tā zī zī bù juàn dì xué xí, zhōng yú kǎo shàng le lǐ xiǎng de dà xué.
    He studied tirelessly and finally got into his dream university.
  • 孜孜不倦。
    Zhè wèi kē xué jiā zī zī bù juàn dì yán jiū le jǐ shí nián.
    This scientist has researched indefatigably for decades.
  • 孜孜不倦，。
    Zhǐ yǒu zī zī bù juàn dì nǔ lì, cái néng qǔ dé zhēn zhèng de chéng jiù.
    Only by working tirelessly can one achieve real success.

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
攵Written in full as攴pūaction
Sound part声符shēngfú
子
子zǐ孜
Same sound today

孜 is made from 子 for its sound and 攵 (written fully as 攴) for action.

Open 孜 →

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
攵Written in full as攴pūaction
Sound part声符shēngfú
子
子zǐ孜
Same sound today

孜 is made from 子 for its sound and 攵 (written fully as 攴) for action.

Open 孜 →

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
龹
龹龹倦juàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

倦 is 人 (person) plus 龹, a sound part; the form 卷 can serve as that sound part.

Open 倦 →

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