志存高远 — “To have lofty aspirations”
志存高远 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have lofty aspirations”. To set one's sights high; to be ambitious and determined to achieve great things. Literally, “Aspirations exist high and far”.
志存高远 Pronunciation and Pinyin
志存高远 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 志存高远
Origin and Story of 志存高远
During the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen went against his father's wish for him to study for the imperial examinations and pursue an official career. Instead, he dedicated himself to reading medical books, particularly 'Shennong Ben Cao Jing' (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica Classic). He discovered that many medicinal herbs in it lacked detailed descriptions or were incorrectly documented. Determined, he resolved to compile a comprehensive and accurate medical treatise.
He meticulously researched and verified every single medicinal herb. After more than thirty years of diligent work, he finally completed his monumental work, 'Bencao Gangmu' (Compendium of Materia Medica).
Idioms Related to 志存高远
Antonyms of 志存高远
More idioms starting with 志
- zhì志chōng冲dǒu斗niú牛soaring ambition or towering rage
- zhì志chōng冲niú牛dòu斗To have lofty aspirations
- zhì志tóng同xīn心hé合to be of one mind
- zhì志tóng同qì气hé合share same aspirations
- zhì志tóng同dào道hé合share the same aspirations and ideals
- zhì志zài在qiān千lǐ里Aim high and far
- zhì志zài在sì四fāng方Aspiring to achieve great things far and wide
- zhì志zài在sì四hǎi海Aspiring to achieve great things worldwide
- zhì志jiān坚xíng行kǔ苦firm will, arduous effort
- zhì志shì士rén仁rén人Noble, benevolent, and sacrificing individuals
- zhì志dà大cái才shū疏ambitious but lacking in talent
- zhì志dà大cái才duǎn短ambitious but incompetent
Recommended tools
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →Questions about 志存高远
What does 志存高远 mean?
志存高远 (zhì cún gāo yuǎn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have lofty aspirations”.
How do you pronounce 志存高远?
志存高远 is pronounced zhì cún gāo yuǎn in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 志存高远 literally mean?
Literally, 志存高远 means “Aspirations exist high and far”. It is used to mean “to have lofty aspirations”.
Where does 志存高远 come from?
志存高远 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to modern Chinese. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 志存高远?
指立志很高远，有雄心壮志