摸爬滚打 (mō pá gǔn dǎ) — to go through challenging experiences and become seasoned (in one's profession, life, etc.)

Definition

A chengyu-style verb phrase meaning to learn by hard, hands-on experience — crawling, climbing, and rolling through adversity. Used as a process (在工地∼了十几年), not a single event.

verb
to go through challenging experiences and become seasoned (in one's profession, life, etc.)

Examples

  • 摸爬滚打，。
    Tā zài gōng dì shàng mō pá gǔn dǎ le shí jǐ nián, shén me kǔ dōu chī guò.
    He has been through the grind on construction sites for over a decade and has endured every kind of hardship.
  • 摸爬滚打，。
    Zhè wèi lǎo yǎn yuán shì cóng huà jù tuán mō pá gǔn dǎ chū lái de, yǎn jì tè bié zhā shi.
    This veteran actor came up through the rough-and-tumble of the drama troupe, so his acting skills are especially solid.
  • ，摸爬滚打，。
    Chuàng yè zhè xiē nián, tā jīng lì le wú shù cì de mō pá gǔn dǎ, zhōng yú yǒu le jīn tiān de chéng jiù.
    In these years of starting a business, he has gone through countless trials and tribulations, and finally achieved what he has today.

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.

摸mōtouch
爬pácrawl
滚gǔnroll
打dǎstrike

The four actions 摸 爬 滚 打 combine to describe struggling through hardships and gaining experience.

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
莫
莫mò摸mō
Same sound today

摸 pairs 手 (hand) with 莫; 手 shows the meaning is about a hand action, and 莫 gives the sound.

Open 摸 →

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
爪爪zhuǎ
Sound part声符shēngfú
巴
巴bā爬pá
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

爬 pairs 爪, the part that gives the meaning, with 巴, the part that gives the sound.

Open 爬 →

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 滾; 滚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
袞
袞gǔn滾gǔn
Same sound today

The traditional form 滾 pairs 水 (water) with 袞, which supplies the pronunciation. The simplified 滚 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical 袞.

Open 滚 →

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
丁
丁dīng打dǎ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

打 uses 扌, a hand, to show an action done with the hand, and 丁 to give the sound.

Open 打 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.