人定胜天 — “Human determination conquers heaven/nature”
人定胜天 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Human effort and determination can overcome natural difficulties or destiny”. Literally, “Human determination conquers heaven/nature”.
人定胜天 Pronunciation and Pinyin
人定胜天 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 人定胜天
Origin and Story of 人定胜天
During the Warring States period, Wu Zixu's family was tragically executed by King Ping of Chu due to the slander of Fei Wuji.
Wu Zixu fled to the State of Wu and later assisted King Helü of Wu in conquering the State of Chu. Out of deep hatred, Wu Zixu exhumed King Ping of Chu's corpse and flogged it 300 times.
His friend, Shen Baoxu, who remained loyal to Chu, sent a letter to Wu Zixu criticizing his actions. In the letter, Shen Baoxu wrote, '吾闻之，人众者胜天，天定亦能破人。' (I have heard that a multitude of people can conquer heaven, but heaven's decree can also break man.)
Although Shen Baoxu's original intention was to convey that even human power has its limits against fate, the first part of his statement '人众者胜天' evolved into the idiom '人定胜天', emphasizing humanity's ability to overcome natural forces or destiny through determination and effort.
Idioms Related to 人定胜天
Synonyms of 人定胜天
Antonyms of 人定胜天
More idioms starting with 人
- rén人yī一jǐ己bǎi百make hundredfold effort to catch up
- rén人dīng丁xīng兴wàng旺a flourishing and growing family
- rén人bù不wèi为jǐ己，，tiān天zhū诛dì地miè灭Heaven and Earth condemn the unselfish
- rén人bù不rén人，，guǐ鬼bù不guǐ鬼looking ghastly or grotesque
- rén人bù不kě可mào貌xiàng相Don't judge a person by appearance
- rén人bù不kě可mào貌xiàng相，，hǎi海shuǐ水bù不kě可dǒu斗liáng量Never judge a person by appearance
- rén人bù不fàn犯wǒ我，，wǒ我bù不fàn犯rén人I will not offend unless offended
- rén人bù不zhī知，，guǐ鬼bù不jué觉done in complete secrecy
- rén人bù不liáo聊shēng生people can't make a living
- rén人bù不zì自ān安people are feeling uneasy
- rén人shì世cāng沧sāng桑the vicissitudes of human life
- rén人zhōng中zhī之lóng龙an outstanding person
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Open the tool →Questions about 人定胜天
What does 人定胜天 mean?
人定胜天 (rén dìng shèng tiān) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Human effort and determination can overcome natural difficulties or destiny”.
How do you pronounce 人定胜天?
人定胜天 is pronounced rén dìng shèng tiān in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 人定胜天 literally mean?
Literally, 人定胜天 means “Human determination conquers heaven/nature”. It is used to mean “Human effort and determination can overcome natural difficulties or destiny”.
Where does 人定胜天 come from?
人定胜天 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 人定胜天?
人定：指人谋。指人力能够战胜自然。