鞠躬尽瘁 (jū gōng jìn cuì) — to spare no effort in one's duty; to dedicate oneself wholeheartedly

Definition

A formal chengyu meaning to give one's entire effort and devotion to a duty, usually a public or noble cause. Stronger and more literary than everyday phrases like 努力工作.

idiom
to spare no effort in one's dutyto dedicate oneself wholeheartedly

Examples

  • 鞠躬尽瘁,。
    Tā yì shēng jū gōng jìn cuì, wèi jiào yù shì yè zuò chū le jù dà gòng xiàn.
    He devoted his entire life to education and made great contributions.
  • 鞠躬尽瘁,。
    Zhè wèi yī shēng jū gōng jìn cuì, rì yè zhào gù bìng rén.
    This doctor spares no effort, caring for patients day and night.
  • ,鞠躬尽瘁,。
    Zuò wéi gōng wù yuán, tā jū gōng jìn cuì, shēn shòu rén mín ài dài.
    As a public servant, he dedicated himself wholeheartedly and was deeply loved by the people.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

鞠躬bend body
动宾Verb + object
尽瘁exhaust fatigue
尽jìnexhaust瘁cuìfatigue
动宾Verb + object

“鞠躬” means bending the body, and “尽瘁” means exhausting one's strength; together they picture giving oneself fully to duty.

Characters in this word

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

The form 鞠 combines 米 (rice) with 𥲩 for the sound; this shape was used for a word for brewer's yeast starter.

Open 鞠 →

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
身身shēnbody
Sound part声符shēngfú
弓
弓gōng躬gōng
Same sound today

躬 combines 身 (body) with 弓, which gives the sound. The body part fits meanings related to the body.

Open 躬 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 盡; 尽 is its simplified writing.

  • 聿聿yùhand holding a brush
  • 灬灬huǒbristles
  • 皿皿mǐndish

The traditional form 盡 shows 聿 (hand holding a brush) and 灬 (bristles) over 皿 (dish), cleaning a dish until it is empty. The simplified 尽 is a shorthand, not those historical parts.

Open 尽 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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