篳路藍縷

Chinese

	wicker	road; path; way
trad. (篳路藍縷)	篳	路	藍縷
simp. (筚路蓝缕)	筚	路	蓝缕
variant forms	蓽路藍縷／荜路蓝缕蓽露藍蔞／荜露蓝蒌篳路襤褸／筚路褴褛

Etymology

From Zuozhuan:

訓之以若敖、蚡冒篳路藍縷以啟山林。 [Classical Chinese, trad.][▼ expand/hide]

训之以若敖、蚡冒筚路蓝缕以启山林。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Commentary of Zuo, circa 4^th century BCE, translation from Zuozhuan: Commentary on the "Spring and Autumn Annals" (2017), by Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li and David Schaberg

Xùn zhī yǐ Ruò'áo, Fénmào bìlù lánlǚ yǐ qǐ shānlín. [Pinyin]

He admonishes them on how the Chu ancestors Ruo'ao and Fenmao, riding in rugged wooden carts and clad in tattered hemp, opened up hills and forests for cultivation.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): bìlùlánlǚ

(Zhuyin): ㄅㄧˋ ㄌㄨˋ ㄌㄢˊ ㄌㄩˇ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Pinyin: bìlùlánlǚ
  - Zhuyin: ㄅㄧˋ ㄌㄨˋ ㄌㄢˊ ㄌㄩˇ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bihluhlanleu
  - IPA ^(key): /pi⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu⁵¹ län³⁵ ly²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Idiom

篳路藍縷

(figuratively) the hardships of beginning an undertaking

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