Chinese idiom · 成语
卧薪尝胆
Meaning
To endure hardship for revenge or success; to stay determined.
Character by character
Origin and story
Historical account with later elaborationThe Shiji (史記), volume 41, describes Goujian of Yue returning after his humiliation by Wu and subjecting himself to hardship. He keeps gall beside his seat and tastes its bitterness at meals, reminding himself of the disgrace at Kuaiji. He works in the fields, lives frugally, and shares his people’s burdens.
The cited Shiji passage records tasting gall, but does not say that he sleeps on firewood. That second image belongs to the familiar combined expression and later retellings; xin (薪) means firewood, not simply straw. The phrase appears in Song-period writing, including Su Shi’s imagined letter from Sun Quan to Cao Cao. Today it evokes sustained self-discipline after a setback, with or without the original theme of revenge.
In everyday life
比赛失利后，队员们卧薪尝胆，认真改进技术，准备明年再来。
After losing the competition, the team trained with renewed discipline, improving their skills for another attempt next year.
An emphatic expression for prolonged resolve after a setback; it does not require literal self-punishment.