疾风知劲草

疾風知勁草

jífēng zhī jìngcǎo

idiom

Meanings

1 strength of character is revealed in a crisis
2 only in a fierce wind do you see which grasses are strong
3 adversity reveals true strength

Characters

to know / reveal

strong / sturdy

Examples

HSK 7-9

疾风知劲草，危难之中才能看出谁是真正的朋友。

Jífēng zhī jìngcǎo, wēinàn zhīzhōng cáinéng kànchū shéi shì zhēnzhèng de péngyou.

Strong grass shows in a fierce wind - only in hardship can you see who your real friends are.

HSK 7-9

这次经济危机真是疾风知劲草，很多企业都倒了，只有它坚持了下来。

Zhè cì jīngjì wēijī zhēnshì jífēng zhī jìngcǎo, hěnduō qǐyè dōu dǎo le, zhǐyǒu tā jiānchí le xiàlái.

This economic crisis really showed who had the mettle - many firms collapsed, only this one held on.

Tips

history

From 东观汉记 (Eastern Han). Emperor Guangwu of Han told his general Wang Ba: of those who followed me from Yingchuan, all have departed, only you remain; now I know that a fierce wind reveals the strong grass. The phrase became the classic Chinese metaphor for loyalty tested by adversity.

memory

Think of grass bent flat in a storm - the blades still standing are the 劲草 (sturdy grass). The fiercer the wind, the more obvious their strength.

Stroke Order

疾 jí

风 fēng

知 zhī

劲 jìn

草 cǎo